Never Forget
by Xada91
Summary: My take on what caused cute, adorable Taka to become evil, psycho Scar.
1. Childhood Friends

A/N: Please don't leave reviews telling be I got the back story wrong. I can't get a hold of the books and am going off what I found on the internet. Beyond that enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

Never Forget

Chapter 1: Childhood Friends

* * *

"Mufasa." Rafiki said to his friend's oldest son. "Your brother is here." The ape held the small bundle of dark fur to the small lion cub. The two cubs looked at each other with wide, staring eyes.

"What's his name?" The golden-furred cub asked, a curious look in his eyes. His mother and father walked up next to their friend. Uru nuzzled here older son as Ahadi gazed at his newborn with a small smile.

"Taka." Uru said with a smile of her own.

"Taka?" Mufasa had a puzzled look on his face. He looked at his little brother and a wide grin spread across his face. "Hi Taka!"

* * *

Three months later…

* * *

"Taka!" Mufasa pounced on his younger brother with a huge laugh. The dark-furred cub looked at him, an annoyed look on his face.

"A simple hello would have sufficed." His green eyes revealed his good humor. "What do you want?" He asked as he attempted to remove the much heavier Mufasa.

"Sarabi and Sarafina wanted to know if you want to play." He finally allowed his brother to sit up. "So do you?" Taka looked thoughtful for a moment before grinning wickedly and pouncing on Mufasa. They tumbled in the grass for a moment before rolling to a stop, Taka having pinned Mufasa to the ground.

"How's that for an answer?" He climbed off his brother and began walking towards the water hole.

"Where're you going?" Mufasa climbed to his paws hurriedly and ran to catch up with Taka.

"To get Zira." He said simply, the wind blowing through his tiny, black mane. They walked in silence for a moment before Mufasa spoke up again.

"Why do you two always play together?" His brown eyes studied his brother. Taka scoffed at his brother in irritation.

"She's my best friend, why wouldn't I play with her." He smiled lightly. "What about you and Sarabi? It's rare to find one of you without the other." Mufasa stared at him curiously.

"What's that supposed to mean?" At this Taka's smile grew to a full grin.

"You two are betrothed aren't you?" He glanced at his brother's confused expression before answering the unasked question. "Betrothed means one day you two will be married."

"What?" Mufasa jumped in alarm. "Why would we do that? She's my friend!" He looked around wildly. "That'd just be weird." Taka laughed at his brother's distress.

"Not as weird as marrying a stranger." He continued walking towards the water hole. "Zira!" He called as they neared. He and Mufasa exchanged confused looks when they heard a yelp followed by a large splash.

"Maybe you shouldn't have yelled?" Mufasa asked his younger brother.

"You're probably right." They ran the rest of the way to the water hole. When they arrived they saw a soaking wet Zira sitting next to her mother. "Zira?" Taka called to her again. She glanced at him sullenly.

"What do you want?" She asked as her mother attempted to clean her matted fur.

"Two baths in one day Zira?" Mufasa asked, sitting just out of reach of her claws. Taka lay down next to him.

"Very funny." The lioness muttered to herself. Taka smiled at his friend.

"When you've finished your bath, would you like to play with us?" He asked, hiding his amusement. Her glares softened when focused on the younger of the two brothers.

"Mom?" She asked, her brown eyes pleading. Her mother looked thoughtful for a moment before she smiled at Taka.

"You'll take care of her?"

"Mom!" Zira sighed exasperatedly. Taka looked at her, confused at her reaction.

"Of course." He said, nodding to Zira's mother.

"Then of course she can go with you." The three cubs smiled and ran towards Pride Rock. Zira's mother smiled after them before walking off to join the nearby hunt.

"Taka?" Zira began as they raced towards their home. The dark-furred cub glanced at her as they both struggled to keep up with Mufasa. He merely grunted in reply. "What are we doing?"

"In general or right now?" He asked, slowing down despite his brother's enthusiasm. "Mufasa if you keep going we're going to find something more…entertaining to do." He glanced towards a large, shadowy area in the distance. Mufasa stopped running and looked at his brother pleadingly.

"Please don't go to the elephant graveyard again." He looked around to see if anyone was listening. "I thought dad was going to kill us last time." Taka frowned at his words.

"Fine, we'll just play with you guy's today." He said with a weary sigh. They were now close enough to Pride Rock to see their friends waiting for them.

"Sarabi! Sarafina!" Mufasa ran ahead to greet them. Taka watched as the three of them ran around together. He was brought out of his thoughts when Zira nuzzled up against him.

"What's wrong Taka?" She asked with a smile. He returned her grin.

"Nothing." He stretched tiredly. "What were you asking earlier?"

"I was asking what we're doing." He glanced at her.

"About?"

"You know…" She looked at Pride Rock worriedly.

"Don't worry about it." He looked at the others just in time to see Sarabi pin Mufasa to the ground.

"Shall we Taka?" Zira asked, nodding to Mufasa as he climbed to his paws.

"Let's." They ran to the others, Taka jumping onto his brother. "Surprise!" He called as they all tumbled to the ground.

From atop Pride Rock, Uru watched the cub's play with a smile. Ahadi walked up next to her and frowned at how close they seemed to be. She noticed his grim attitude and nuzzled up against him.

"What's wrong?" She asked him as he continued to watch the cubs.

"When they grow older there will come a time when a king must be chosen." Uru pulled away from him with a frown. "The law must be obeyed." He said in a level voice, refusing to look at her.

"The law could tear them apart." She said, pacing back and forth behind him. "How are we supposed to tell them this?"

"We won't. They'll do as my brother and I did." He said simply.

"Your brother tried to kill you!" She was horrified with where the discussion was going. "Do you want that to happen to them?" He lowered his head sadly.

"The Pridelands can have only one king. One must leave or die." He glanced at her, his eyes filled with resolve. "That is the law."


	2. Growing Together

A/N: Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

Never Forget

Chapter 2: Growing Together

* * *

"Taka?" Called a teenage Zira as she wandered around the Pridelands. She had been looking for her friend all day and had yet to find him. With a sigh she slumped onto her stomach, finally giving up on her search. Her ears flicked back at the sound of footsteps. Sarafina sat down next to her.

"What's wrong Zira?"

"I can't find Taka." She muttered sullenly. She glared at the other lioness when she laughed. "What?"

"I saw him by the water hole. He's looking for you." She laughed to herself as she started walking in the direction of the water hole. Zira watched her suspiciously.

"What's so funny?" She fell into step with her friend.

"You get so insecure whenever he's not around." Sarafina laughed at the shocked look Zira gave her. "Don't act so surprised, you're not exactly subtle."

"Don't make fun of me Sarafina." Zira warned lightly. They were coming close to the water hole by this point and could hear the sounds of a scuffle. They ran the rest of the way and discovered Taka and Mufasa fighting for some reason, Sarabi watching them with interest. Though time had turned the two small cubs into strong young lions, it had brought out the differences in the two drastically. Mufasa had the build and color of their father but his partial mane was a brilliant red. Taka however, favored their mother's lean build and dark coloration, his black mane more filled out than his brother's. Zira and Sarafina walked up to Sarabi. "What are they doing?" Zira asked, lying down on the ground.

"Mufasa made a joke about you and Taka." The three lionesses moved farther away from the two brothers as their fight grew closer to them. "Taka did not like it." She smiled at Zira's embarrassment.

"Taka! Mufasa!" Sarafina yelled at the two. They rolled to a stop, Mufasa having pinned his smaller brother. "That's better." She smiled in a self-satisfied way that greatly annoyed Zira. Mufasa stared down at his struggling brother.

"Are we done Taka?" He asked fiercely, both of them breathing heavily. The dark-furred lion stopped his struggles and gazed past his brother's face to the three lionesses. He looked right at Zira before looking back to Mufasa.

"Let me up." He muttered in a quiet voice. His brother relented and they both sat, watching each other as they caught their breath. Taka looked at their friends before standing and walking to the water hole for a drink. Zira walked over to him and sat while he drank his fill. Mufasa watched them for a minute before looking at his friends.

"What is wrong with you?" Sarabi asked with a frown.

"What?" He asked with a smile. "You know I'm right about them."

"Of course we do." Sarafina gave him a level stare. "We don't go talking about it though." She shook her head in annoyance. "You know how he feels about that."

"Taka?" Zira asked her friend when he finished drinking. "What-?"

"Don't." He stretched his sore muscles. "Just don't okay?" He looked at her with his emerald orbs. She smiled and nuzzled up against him.

"Fine." She smiled when she felt him rub his head against hers. "Sarafina said you were looking for me?" He smiled ruefully.

"I found myself in need of intelligent conversation." He looked towards his brother with a frown. "He seems unable to provide anything of the sort." She laughed at his remark. "Besides, why wouldn't I look for my best friend?"

"Taka." Mufasa interrupted their conversation.

"Speak of the devil." Taka muttered as he looked at his brother. "What?"

"It's time." He gestured to Pride Rock. Taka stood solemnly and followed his brother in silence.

"Taka?" Zira's voice was filled with concern. "Mufasa?" Taka looked back at her with a smile.

"I'll be right back."

* * *

Ahadi waited grimly for his sons to arrive. At his side sat a tear stricken Uru. She had pleaded with him often, begging him to reconsider. After some time of this she had simply given up on stopping the fight. All she could hope for was to merely have one of her sons banished. It would destroy her to see either of them killed. Her heart stopped at the sound of footsteps, she could tell them apart easily due to Taka's ever-extended claws.

"Father?" The younger of the two asked when he spotted their parents. "What did you need?" Ahadi looked at his two sons, the most important things to him in the world.

"What is the law of kings?" He asked quietly. Mufasa and Taka looked at each other, both confused by the odd question.

"That Pride Rock must be ruled by the one true king?" Mufasa asked hopefully.

"Precisely." Ahadi looked off into the distance. "How many heirs do I have?" He asked in a pained voice.

"Two." Taka was becoming worried by their father's strange behavior. "And there can only be one king so…" He trailed off. "So you have to choose between us?"

"My father's law must stand. If there is more than one heir to the throne then one must be proven as king."

"How do we do that?" Mufasa had picked up on his brother's uneasiness.

"Combat." Ahadi refused to look at either of them as he said this.

"You want us to fight?" Taka asked incredulously. "How can you expect us to do that?"

"The law must be upheld." Ahadi held no weakness in his voice; he would not allow the law to be challenged. If they would not fight he would be forced to take the law into his own claws. He and Uru had talked long and hard about this.

"I'm not going to fight Mufasa." His youngest said firmly.

"Then leave." Taka and Mufasa stared at their father in fear.

"What?" Ahadi looked at him in anger.

"Leave or fight Taka. You have no other choice."

"But father-"

"Run away Taka. Run away and never return!"

"But-" Ahadi swiped his paw across Taka's face, leaving a long gash across his left eye. Taka sat there stunned before turning and running away from Pride Rock.

"Taka!" Mufasa cried out, Uru leapt in front of him, preventing him from chasing his brother. "Mother?" He turned on his father angrily. "Why?" He froze when he saw tears leaking out of Ahadi's eyes. He looked at his son, his eyes filled with resolve behind his tears.

"This is our law." He said firmly.

* * *

Zira looked up as she saw Taka run passed her, tears falling from his eyes. She stood and ran after him, only to stop when he ran into the elephant graveyard. She watched as he ran through the wasteland in a panic. Her eyes were filled with sadness as he drew further and further from the Pridelands. She watched as her best friend left the world they knew behind. "Taka…" She sighed sadly.


	3. Outcast Companions

A/N: And so enter the intrepid trio of hyenas. Neat.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

Never Forget

Chapter 3: Outcast Companions

* * *

The dark-furred lion wandered through the lands outside the Pridelands. He held his head low, not caring where he went nor what he found. He had traveled for weeks, only stopping to rest, eat or sleep. He did very little of these, only what he needed to survive. He no longer wept, for his body could not produce the tears. He didn't hunt; he merely scavenged what he could. On the twenty-eighth day of his banishment he finally reached his limit. He collapsed on the ground, not even trying to climb to his feet. He stirred only when he heard laughter somewhere nearby. At one time he would have cared enough to be curious. He cursed his father for doing this to him. He cursed his mother for not stopping him. But more than that, he cursed his brother for taking the throne within protest. He had defended Mufasa, had refused to fight him. His brother, however, had simply waited to see what their father was going to do.

"Hey Shenzi!" A voice called from nearby. He heard more laughter as footsteps grew closer. He opened one eye to see what was coming for him. "I found dinner!" The voice called again. Taka heard more footsteps come toward him. He looked in the direction the voice came from and saw three hyenas stalking him. _So this is how it ends, _he thought. _As a meal._

"Banzai, you really think you can kill a lion?" A female voice asked the first.

"Aw, c'mon it's dead already." The first voice replied scornfully. Taka turned his head to look at them. He stared at them with dead eyes. The third hyena, the only one to not talk stared right back at him with eyes just as vacant. "Why would I have to kill something that's dead?"

"I'm not dead." The lion said calmly, pulling himself to a sitting position. "And I'm not deaf." He watched them as the male that had spoken jumped in alarm. The two that had spoken looked rather nervous at his movement. The third however, he simply grinned dumbly and watched Taka with his large, empty eyes. He stood and continued walking away from them.

"You're not going to eat us?" The male asked, clearly terrified.

"I'm far too tired to do that." Was his only reply, as he took a few more steps before he stumbled, exposure and exhaustion taking their toll on his still young body. He took another step and collapsed onto his side. The three hyenas walked to where the lion had fallen.

"Is he dead again?" Banzai asked hungrily.

"I don't think so." Shenzi nudged Taka with her paw. "Let's get him into some shade." She grabbed the scruff of his neck in her teeth.

"Why? Can't we just eat him?" He asked in annoyance. The third hyena laughed hysterically and licked his lips. Shenzi dropped the lion to answer.

"Don't you think it'll be easier to get food if we have a lion on our side?" She asked before grabbing Taka again. The other hyenas grabbed a hold of him and helped her drag him into the shade provided by a nearby rock outcropping. They dropped him next to a small pool of water. Banzai looked the lion in the face.

"Whoa, look at this scar." He said, indicating Taka's left eye. The scratch from his father had not healed entirely, leaving a scar over his eye. "Wonder how he got it?"

"Ask him when he wakes up." Shenzi sat down a good distance from the lion. The third hyena spent his time chewing on a shard of bone. "If he wakes up."

"If he doesn't?"

"We eat him. And if he does, we'll have a big lion to help us get food." She yawned and looked at the unconscious Taka. "Or keep other lions from eating us."

* * *

"Hey lion, wake up." Taka growled as he was prodded awake. He opened his eyes to see Shenzi starring at him. "You dieing?" He sat up slowly and looked around. He spotted a pool of water and began to drink. "I'll take that as a 'no.'" She turned and walked to the other hyenas. "Told you he wasn't dead."

"Yeah, well he sure looked dead to me. Ed?" The third hyena nodded enthusiastically.

"Ed?" Taka asked dryly. He looked at the three of them calmly.

"Yeah, he's Ed, I'm Banzai and she's-"

"Shenzi." She female interrupted. "You hungry Scar?"

"Scar?" She gestured to her left eye. The lion looked at his reflection to see that she was right; he did indeed have a scar. "Ahadi." He growled to himself.

"Who?" Banzai asked, watching Ed try to eat his own leg.

"Oh, just my dear daddy." He said mockingly.

"Your father gave you that?" Shenzi asked walking up to him carefully.

"Man and I thought our dad was messed up." Banzai muttered to himself, kicking Ed to get his attention. "Come on." He said to his brother.

"Yes. The law must be upheld and all that." His gaze returned to the pool. "The whole circle of life."

"Circle of life? Out here we ain't got time for stuff like that." Shenzi glared at her brother. "What? We're too busy looking for food."

"He has a point Scar; out here it only pays to be ruthless." She looked at the lion uncertainly. "Think you can handle that?"

"I'll try my best." He said dryly, standing up and looking at Shenzi. "You said something about food?"

* * *

Taka stalked a herd of wildebeest with the hyenas. He crept closer and closer, each step measured perfectly to be as quiet as possible. Suddenly Banzai and Ed leapt towards the herd causing them to scatter. He and Shenzi ran after one in particular, an old male that quickly fell behind the others. With a roar Taka leapt upon the old wildebeest and dragged him to the ground.

That night the hyenas ate far more than usual thanks to their new friend. Taka thought long and hard about what they had called him: Scar. He decided that was who he was now. Taka did not have a place in this harsh, uncaring wasteland so far away from Pride Rock. Scar however; Scar could survive if he was ruthless enough.

"Shenzi." He approached the female hyena carefully, neither really liking the other's company.

"Yes Scar?" She made sure she could escape if he tried to attack her.

"Let's make a deal." He sat down and watched her carefully.

"I'm listening." She watched him just as carefully as he watched her.

"You stick with me and I'll ensure you and the idiots never go hungry again." He gazed at her with his emerald eyes, waiting to see what her answer would be.

"Sounds good to me." She grinned. "I'm sure they won't care."

* * *

The next day the four companions left the small pool of water in search of more food. Shenzi lead them, she being the only intelligent member of the group that had knowledge of the area. Scar walked along beside her as Banzai and Ed brought up the rear. He found in Shenzi an acceptable conversationalist, though she did share her brothers' unending fixation on food. _This is my life now, _he thought wearily, _the traveling companion of moronic scavengers._


	4. Missing Pieces

A/N: This chapter is about Scar/Taka's absence - and it's effect on the those at Pride Rock.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

Never Forget

Chapter 4: Missing Pieces

* * *

Part One: Broken Heart

* * *

Zira paced restlessly in the she shared with Sarafina. The other lioness watched her with large, worried eyes. They had both been told what had happened to Taka by a horrified Mufasa. Since she received the news Zira had switched between pacing endlessly and laying around, taking no interest in anything or anyone. Sarafina was greatly concerned with her friend's state of mind.

"Zira?" She ventured to ask tentatively. Zira continued to pace agitatedly, increasing Sarafina's worry. She carefully walked out of their den to search for the one person she hoped Zira would talk to. She found him sitting on Taka's favorite rock. From there the lion could see almost the entire Pridelands. "Mufasa?" She spoke to him softly, not wanting to startle the future king. He lifted his head to look at her sadly.

"How is she?" This was not the first time Sarafina had sought his help with the grief-stricken lioness. She sat next to him on the rock.

"She's pacing again." She looked at her friend. Though she had been closer to Taka than Mufasa, since the former's banishment they had supported each other and Zira. "She's starting to scare me." The lion climbed to his feet and together they walked back to her den, an uncomfortable silence hanging on them like a weight.

"Zira?" He asked the maddened lioness. She slowed her frenzied pacing to look at him with hurt, accusing eyes. Without a word she continued moving about the den, muttering to herself. "Zira." He stepped in front of her, preventing her from ignoring him. She growled at him before laying down on her side. "This can't go on." He sat next to her, Sarafina at his side. "You haven't left the den in weeks, if you keep going like this you're going to get sick."

"And will you abandon me like you did Taka?" She asked venomously, glaring into his eyes. "Or attack me like Ahadi?"

"Zira, I am not responsible for the actions of my father." The lion stood and walked to the entrance to the den.

"But you are for yours." She called after his retreating form. Sarafina watched him thoughtfully before turning to Zira.

"Why do you stay here?" She asked her depressed friend. The other lioness looked at her in confusion. "Why don't you go after Taka?" Zira's eyes widened with surprise before squinting in suspicion.

"Where did this come from?" She stood and walked to her friend.

"I don't think you're going to find what you're looking for in the Pridelands." She said sadly. Without another word Zira walked past Sarafina and away from Pride Rock, possibly for the last time.

* * *

Part Two: Melancholy Requiem

* * *

Mufasa looked at his brother's favorite rock and smiled sadly. He remembered asking Taka why he liked this spot so much on several occasions. He had been given a different answer each time, bur they both knew none of them were the truth. This was the spot Taka had first met Zira at. _Zira, _he thought in despair,_ she misses you brother. _He closed his eyes to hold back his tears. _We all miss you, even father._ He thought back to when they had been cubs, talking about how they would be kings together. _What I would give for things to be that way._ Taka had been the most excited about them ruling together. _"You and me. With us in charge, what could go wrong?" _He shook his head to clear away the memories. He sat on the rock wearily, ignoring the discomfort that it's odd shape caused him.

"Where are you brother?" He asked himself. He had come to this rock and asked that question every day for the past weeks, hoping it would somehow bring Taka back, hoping it would somehow undo his father's law. A noise disturbed the young lion. He heard her footsteps long before the owner's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Why do you keep blaming yourself Mufasa?" Sarabi asked from behind him. He sighed deeply.

"Because I should have defended him." He looked at her with loving, tear-filled eyes. "Like he defended me." She nuzzled his neck lovingly, doing with her actions what words cannot.

"Your father was upholding the law. There was nothing you could do." She looked him in the eyes. "You can't blame yourself for a crime you didn't commit."

"No." He looked at Pride Rock with a new purpose. "But when I'm king, I can make sure it isn't repeated."

* * *

Part Three: Infinite Grief

* * *

Ahadi and Uru sat upon Pride Rock, watching all that transpired on their lands. They had not spoken to each other since the banishment of Taka. Uru felt mush like Zira and Mufasa, sadness and guilt eating away at her heart. Ahadi however, he had lost a apart of himself that day. He had decreed that the pride hold a moment of silence for his son. None had spoken that entire day, not even Uru or Mufasa. Uru still had yet to speak to anyone. She still hunted, but that was all she did besides sleep and cry. Ahadi had been forced to return to his duty, the Pridelands needed a king. It was for that reason that he was able to keep going, to not collapse into his mind. Uru still stood by his side, but he feared she was growing weak from her sadness. She had thinned badly, her body barely held the strength to stand. Mufasa had changed since his brother left, becoming much more serious about being the future king than he had before. Though this was a good thing, Ahadi had noticed his son grow distant around him and Uru. The king of the Pridelands could only watch as his family fell apart due to his actions. He could only watch and beg his son's forgiveness.


	5. Vindicated Past

A/N: A reviewer pointed out to me that Ahadi seemed a bit cold so far. Thus, we have the chapter title: vindicated. Vindicate means to free from allegation or blame…among other things. And no, most chapters will not be this long.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

Never Forget

Chapter 5: Vindicated Past

* * *

Ahadi lay upon the crest of Pride Rock as the moon rose over the Pridelands. His mind played out the events of the past weeks endlessly. Uru had long gone into their den, still broken emotionally and mentally. Mufasa had begun sleeping in the same den as Sarabi weeks ago, leaving his parents to their own devices. The king of the Pridelands, ensuring himself that he was alone, broke down in tears. He had effectively murdered his youngest son, banishing him, sending him out into the world without any hope of survival. _Just you aren't I father? _He thought bitterly. _No, I'm worse than you._ He looked up at the stars, warm tears flowing freely down his face. _You at least had the decency to never show love for any of us. At least you knew how to prepare someone to kill their family. _As his thoughts turned towards the hate he felt for his father, he began to loose himself in his darkest memories.

* * *

Ahadi slept soundly in the shade of Pride Rock next to his brother and sister. They were pressed up against each other for warmth and security. Ahadi was three months younger than his brother Tendaji. He was awakened by a light sensation against his fur. He opened his eyes to see his little sister Abeni shivering in her sleep. In the whole of the pride there were only two members he ever wanted to spend his time with. The first was little Abeni, the other was his friend Uru. At times he felt they were the only ones he could speak to since his mother had died. Looking around to see if their father was around he crept closer to the young lioness, using his body warmth to comfort her. He hated his father for forcing her out in the cold at night. He knew Tendaji and he could manage easily enough, but Abeni was nowhere near as strong as her brothers. She could easily grow sick or die from exposure when it rained or the wind was strong enough.

"Ahadi?" Tendaji shifted in his sleep to look at his younger siblings. "Leave her alone," he growled, "I'm not getting punished because of you again." They were startled out of their argument by the sounds of nearby movement. Mohatu, their father and king of Pride Rock stalked past his children. He paused when he passed Ahadi and Abeni, his tail twitching angrily. He turned his fearsome gaze upon his children.

"What are you doing?" He asked coldly, sending shivers down Ahadi's spine.

"Abeni was cold so I-" He was interrupted by a fierce growl from Mohatu. The lion approached the cubs and pulled Abeni away from her brothers. "Father?"

"You deliberately disobeyed me." he growled at his son. "If you won't learn how to live on your own, how do you expect to survive?" He picked his daughter up in his mouth, carrying her with him as he walked to the water hole. Ahadi sat where he was, shaking with fear of his father's wrath. Tendaji grinned wickedly as he shoved passed Ahadi, following Mohatu's path. After several minutes spent debating whether it would be worse to go without a drink for the entire day or possibly keep his father waiting, he quickly followed his family. He came to his father and brother sitting by the water hole with Abeni nowhere in sight. He waited for a few tense moments in the hopes she would turn up. When she failed to do so he found the nerve to approach Mohatu. "Father where's Abeni?"

"Swimming." Was Tendaji's sarcastic reply, his voice lacking his brother's concern. Ahadi looked at his father, shock plain in his eyes.

"She doesn't know how to swim!" He hoped with all his heart that his brother was simply being his cruel-humored self.

"She's learning." Was the old lion's only reply to his son's panic? Ahadi looked to the water and back at his father.

"How long?" He asked in a quietly dangerous voice. Unperturbed his father continued gazing at the still water of the pond.

"Not long." Mohatu finally shook his head sadly and walked away from the pond. "If you plan on saving her I would do it now Ahadi. Remember: I will not tolerate weakness within the pride." The cold-hearted lion never once looked back to his youngest son. Tendaji followed him with a snicker as Ahadi dove into the water, fear and hate fighting for control of his mind. He found Abeni washed up on the opposite shore of the water hole. He pulled her away from the water and assured himself that she was alive. He crouched next to her, doing whatever he could for his sister.

"I swear to you Abeni," he growled to her, pain evident in every word, "I will make them both pay one day."

* * *

Ahadi sat on the crest of Pride Rock, his short black mane clashing fantastically with his golden fur. He heard the click of his brother's claws against the ancient rock. He refused to give the lunatic the satisfaction of looking at him. Tendaji plopped down on his stomach next to his little brother. Ahadi knew he find a huge grin on the older lion's face if he were to look. The same grin he had worn when his father had last forced the two of them to fight over their food for the day. The same grin he had had when Mohatu had tried to drown Ahadi's beloved sister.

"Hello Ahadi." The younger of the two gritted his teeth at the sound of his brother's voice. "Father wants us to come see him." Without another word they both stood and walked to where Mohatu always went in the evening. They found him in his usual spot: a rocky outcropping from which he could watch most of the Pridelands without moving too much. Abeni was sitting next to him, fear written all over her face. "Father." Tendaji greeted the old lion with his malformed grin.

"Tendaji. Ahadi." Mohatu continued to watch as the sun slowly made its way below the horizon. When its light had finally faded entirely he stood and looked at his son. "Pride Rock can have only one king." He said calmly, paying more attention to his youngest than his enthusiastic oldest. "And there are two of you." At this Tendaji cackled to himself, earning a silencing glare from Mohatu. "One of you will not survive this night." Ahadi and Tendaji were both taken aback by this announcement; albeit for completely different reasons. Ahadi was not surprised that his father would use such a means to establish the next line of monarchy; it merely disturbed him that Mohatu would involve Abeni in this. Tendaji simply seemed excited at the chance to finally remove his completion for the throne.

"We get to fight?" He looked at Ahadi, a crazed look in his emerald eyes. "I get to kill him?" His muscles jerked in anticipation of the brawl. He restrained himself solely due to the inherent danger of doing anything their father had not expressly instructed them to do.

"Kill." Was the only word the great king of the Pridelands used to begin this battle; this fight for the kingdom, his kingdom. He watched as his sons exploded into motion, Tendaji making up for smaller size with experience and speed. The two lions clashed both their claws powered by their mutual hate. Ahadi slashed at his brother's flank, driving his claws deep into Tendaji's side. His brother roared in pain and rage as he bit down on Ahadi's neck. They broke apart for mere minutes before they ran at each other. Ahadi leapt at his brother, claws outstretched confident that he would be victorious. With his wicked grin spreading over his teeth, Tendaji rolled to the side and sprang upon Ahadi the second he touched the ground. He forced Ahadi onto his side and raised his paw for the final blow. With a cry Abeni leapt in the way of her brother's claws; the wicked points piercing deep into her neck. Scowling at the interruption Tendaji shoved his sister aside, intent on finishing his rise to power. His eyes locked onto Ahadi's for a brief moment, just long enough to see that something had changed in his brother. Ahadi's eyes, which had once held nothing but kindness for anything, even those he hated, were now twin points of madness. With a roar filled with pain and hate Ahadi leapt onto his brother, driving them both to the ground. His wicked fangs gripped Tendaji's throat and for the last time the two brother's locked eyes. Then, without a moment's hesitation, Ahadi bit down and ended his brother's life. He dropped Tendaji's corpse onto the ground and collapsed from exhaustion. He heard his father's hated footsteps grow closer to him until the old lion was standing above him.

"Well done Ahadi. Tomorrow you will be trained to be king." With that the heartless king turned from his only living child and walked to his den. Ahadi lay there and wept the moment he was sure Mohatu was gone. He looked at the bloodied body of his dear sister.

"I'm sorry Abeni…I'm so sorry…"

* * *

Ahadi stood across the water hole from his father, watching him with his deep-brown eyes. Mohatu returned the stare, a look of distaste matching his son's look of hatred. The two lions had been in this position since the sun had first risen; it now scorched the earth from its zenith. Mohatu had brought his son out here to finish what had been started a year ago. Slowly they started to circle the pond in opposite directions, coming closer together with each step. Soon they broke into a full run, intent only on ending the other's life. With twin roars they leapt at each other, claws and teeth tearing with pure savagery. The field was essentially even between the two; Ahadi had strength and youth but Mohatu was not king for nothing. The wicked lion had torn his kingdom from the previous king long before his children had been born. When two fighters of their ability clash, there are only two possible endings. Either the fight will be over in a few, bloody seconds, or it will last until one of them tires from their exertions. Within moments it was clear that there was not going to be a quick end to this long awaited fight. The combatants broke apart for a few moments to catch their breathe, neither letting their guard down lest they fall to a surprise attack.

"Why do you betray me son?" The old lion panted, his better days far behind him. Ahadi had to force himself not to attack at the obvious provocation. "Why betray you king?"

"A king is a just leader of his pride. A father cares for his children." He ground his teeth angrily at Mohatu. "You are neither!" With a roar he leapt upon the old lion, his claws finding vulnerable spots while his teeth tore at the neck. Mohatu scratched frantically at the younger lion. Ahadi did not end his life quickly as he had with Tendaji; he held Mohatu's throat until the old lion's struggles grew weak and he stopped moving entirely. Ahadi dropped him on the ground, the elder's breathing shallow and weak. "Remember Mohatu, there can be no weakness in the pride!" With a savage slash of his claws Ahadi ended the dark work he had begun with his brother's death. He collapsed to the ground tiredly, too drained to feel anything but weariness. He looked to the sky with a deep sigh. "Goodbye Abeni."

* * *

Ahadi opened his eyes to see the sun rising over the horizon. He closed his eyes as he sorted through his jumbled thoughts. He pulled himself into a sitting position stiffly, shaking his head to empty it of his bitter memories. This merely reminded him of why he was outside to begin with. _Taka…_His mind flashed back to the last moments he had spent with his son. He had seen in Taka for a moment; for just a tiny, insignificant moment, something of his brother Tendaji. He had remembered what he had had to do in order to remain alive. He could not do that to his sons, they were far closer than Tendaji and he had been; so instead of abolishing his father's accursed law he had forced his son to flee. He lifted his head to the sky once again before turning to fetch Mufasa and Rafiki. It was time for him to correct the worst mistake of his life.


	6. Setting Sun

A/N: Yeah…I lied last chapter. These are going to be about this long from now on.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Never Forget

Chapter 6: Setting Sun

* * *

Ahadi paced before his eldest son in the first rays of the sun, impatient for the arrival of Rafiki. The old mandrill was taking his sweet time in getting to the water hole. Ahadi had chosen this as their meeting spot due to the significant role it had played in his life. His rule over the Pride Lands had begun here with the death of his father. It was only fitting for his time to end on the same ground that had seen the violent birth of his kingdom. He hoped his son would accept his decision, he knew Rafiki would be…tolerant. The sound of nearby chanting caught the lion's attention.

"Rafiki?" Mufasa asked bewildered at the mandrill's unexpected appearance. "Why are you here?" The ape cackled at his question, gesturing to Ahadi with his stick.

"Crazy old lion told me to come see the new king." He moved behind Mufasa so fast he seemed to vanish. "Your majesty." The young lion jumped and turned to see him bowing at his paws.

"King? What are you…?" He trailed off as recognition lit up his eyes, his head snapping around to stare at his mildly annoyed father.

"I had wanted some form of ceremony involved in this." He shook his head, the ghost of a smile gracing his face. "I really should have known better."

"But you're king. The law-"

"Because I couldn't see past the law your brother has suffered at my paws. Your mother has lost her heart because of my devotion to the law." He closed his eyes, doing all he could to hold back the tears that threatened to break loose. "And I've started to loose you." The ruler of the Pridelands shook his head with finality and looked from Mufasa to Rafiki. "It's time for the sun to set on my time as king." He looked off into the south, to the elephant graveyard. "But before I do that I have one last decree," his gaze returned to his son, "I now abolish my father's law regarding the heir to the throne. Something I should have done long ago." He stood and began walking towards the last place anyone had seen his youngest son.

"At this rate all you'll be remembered for is getting rid of old laws!" Rafiki called from Mufasa's side, once again spooking the young lion. The ape looked at him with a grin.

"Old laws?" The mandrill cackled gleefully, increasing Mufasa's confusion.

"Your father got rid of the law that exiled all the cubs born under the previous king's reign." Wide-eyed, Mufasa turned to look after his retreating father. After a moments pause Rafiki bopped the lion on the head with his stick. "What are you waiting for? Get going! A king needs to be with his kingdom!" Mufasa rubbed a forepaw against his injured head.

"Where's he going?" He mumbled through teeth clenched from the pain. He deftly dodged another swing of the stick.

"To find your brother of course." Mufasa looked at him in shock only to see him somehow on the other side of the water hole.

"Bye." And with that simple phrase the mandrill vanished into the savannah. Shaking his head in amusement Mufasa looked after his father once again before turning back to Pride Rock.

"I'm king." He said in a matter-of-fact voice. "I'm king." He repeated, seeing if it would sound more real the second time around. "I'm king and my family is falling apart." He ran towards his home, determination burning in his gaze.

At the edge of the Pridelands Ahadi looked out at the elephant graveyard, trying to determine what direction he should take. Looking down he saw paw prints leading off into the wasteland. _Impossible…_he leaned down and sniffed the prints lightly. The scent was indeed familiar as well as faded. _Zira? Why would she…of course. _He frowned slightly at this new development. He knew she had been close to Taka, and she was the last one to see him, yet he still found himself surprised by her leaving. He supposed she had cared for his son more than he had. Shaking his mind free of such thoughts. _Now I have a starting point._He thought, internally thanking the kings of the past for the lack of rain in this part of the Pridelands. He took a tentative step beyond the boundaries of his birthplace. A rueful smile spread thinly over his face at his own nervousness. _All this time and I never once stepped beyond my boarders._ His second step was more confident than the first. He looked down once more to see which direction the lioness had chosen. Looking back at his home one last time, he ran off across the wastes. _I will return with our son Uru._ He silently promised as he followed Zira's weathered path through the graveyard.

* * *

The lioness chose her path carefully through the wastes, her depression deepening with every day she failed to find Taka. It had been less than a week and already she found herself lost. Taka had been gone for far too long, his trail so cold as to be nonexistent. It was almost as if he had simply vanished into the wastes. This thought more than any other caused her no end of distress. Zira had not noticed how truly she had relied upon Taka's presence until he had left. Without him she was empty, at a loss for purpose in her life. Her mind had grown weary and cold as the days after his banishment had turned into weeks. She had secretly been thankful to Sarafina for suggesting she leave Pride Rock to search for Taka.

The weary lioness walked towards a miniscule stream weaving its way weakly through the wasteland. Near the stream was a rocky outcropping, something about it catching her attention. She approached the rock with a puzzled expression on her dust caked face. On the rock, gauged deep into its side, were claw marks. A sad smile spread across Zira's face as her mind flowed backwards into her memories.

* * *

Zira waited patiently for her mother to finish giving her a bath. As her tongue scrubbed the cub's fur clean, another sat next to them. His short black mane blew in the breeze as he looked off into the distance. Zira watched the slightly older cub with wide eyes, as she often did when he wasn't looking. Taka stood and began pacing restlessly, his patience worn thin by the length of her bath. Finally her mother finished, nudging her to go play with the brown cub. She ran up to him and nuzzled her head against his neck lightly, smiling when he stiffened. She continued walking, her companion taking a few seconds to catch up.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" She asked her best friend in the world when he fell into step beside her. His face lost the dreamy expression it had held a moment before, taking up instead a nervous one. He walked up to one of the rocks scattered about the Pridelands. He stood on his hind legs and placed his forelegs upon it, his claws extended. With a small grunt he pulled them down the rock's surface, creating an ear-piercing squeal. Zira grimaced slightly at the all-to-familiar sound as he looked at his claws absently. "Taka…" She began warningly, knowing he was stalling for time for whatever reason. He sighed, a guilty smile showing her that she was right.

"Sorry." He frowned slightly, all humor gone from him. "I heard my parents arguing last night." He began haltingly, causing her to become alarmed. Anything that caused Taka worry couldn't be as simple as his parents arguing. "They were talking about me and Mufasa." He shook his head, clearly trying to work out how to say what he needed to. "Something about there being only one king. I think my father's going to pick one of us. I-I don't know what'll happen to the other." He took a deep, calming breath. "I'm worried about Mufasa." Zira knotted her brows in confusion, seeing this he answered her unasked question. "If he's chosen, I don't know if he'll accept it. He's far too caring to take the throne from me." He looked at her with frightened eyes. "If I'm picked, he might get jealous or angry. I don't think I could bear him thinking of me that way." Zira nuzzled against him again.

"My mother always says that whatever happens happens for a reason." She looked at him with an encouraging smile. "You two will be fine." A thrill went through her when he returned the smile with one of his own.

"Thanks Zira."

* * *

The lioness leapt upon the rock, dragging her claws down it. She left deep gauges in it, parallel to those left by Taka. In their youth she had despised this little habit of his; now she said a silent prayer, begging him not to lose it in this wasteland he had been forced into. She scrapped her claws across the ground, another habit of his. As her claws scratched the hard, dry ground they left clear marks; clearer than her own paw prints. This brought a hopeful smile to her face; Taka's habits would lead her right to him. Brushing her paw across the dust covered ground, she found claw marks. Not deliberate scratches, but marks left by a lion whom always had his claws extended. This would be a lot easier than she had ever dared to hope. "I'm coming Taka." She whispered to her beloved lion.

* * *

Scar sauntered alongside the hyenas he loathed to call his companions. For the past three days they had been walking next to a stream, hoping it would lead them to some form of food. The entire time they walked, Banzai had felt it his duty to complain about the state of his hunger. Shenzi had earned a small amount of respect from the dark lion by using a very imaginative way of telling him to be quiet. Scar had found an almost enjoyable companion in the third hyena. The entire journey he had been silent, barring of course, his nearly endless laughter. It was that laughter that occasionally brought thoughts of his claws and how to silence that irritating noise to Scar's mind.

"I'm hungry." Banzai complained bitterly to his sister. "I thought you said he'd be good for catching food?"

"I find it difficult to catch what does not exist." The lion remarked dryly, giving Banzai a baleful stare. Being not yet fully grown, he was only slightly larger than the male hyena; he was actually roughly the size of Shenzi. Despite this, they both felt he could tear either of them limb from limb. If they did not out number him he probably would do so. As it was, he had to learn to deal with his…associates' vexing quirks.

"Yeah, well that doesn't help me now does it?" Banzai grumbled, sitting down to rest. Ed flopped down next to him, his tongue lolling out of his mouth in a manic grin. Scar looked at the clearly disturbed hyena with mild interest as Shenzi walked to the stream for a drink, ignoring all three of them. "Hey Scar? Why'd your dad scratch you anyway?" Scar's attention was stolen by loud choking sounds coming from Shenzi. The female hyena glared at him angrily. "What?"

"I believe she's worried I'll abandon the three of you due to that question." The lion calmly answered for her, a bored expression on his face. He walked to one of the many rocks around them. "You don't have anything to worry about. At least, not when it comes to that." He stood on his hind legs, his claws digging into the side of the rock. With an ear-splitting squeal he pulled his forepaws to the ground. All three of his companions grimaced in agitation at the sound. "Much as it vexes me, I need you three for my own survival." He remarked casually, studying his claws distractedly.


	7. Encroaching Destiny

A/N: This one jumps around a bit.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Never Forget

Chapter 7: Encroaching Destiny

* * *

Scar paced next to the stream, irritation and anger preventing him from sleeping. His short, semi-mane wavered slightly from his frenzied speed. He thought back on his life, wondering how it had come to this: living as the personal hunter of a pack of hyenas. It disgusted him that he was brought so low simply for refusing to fight his brother for the throne.

"Scar?" Shenziasked in a quiet, submissive; almost fearful of the young, agitated lion. "We need to move, there's no food here." He gave her a disinterested look before looking at the stream. He walked to one of the rocks and leaned his forelegs against it. "Please don't-" He cut her off by ripping his claws down the surface of the rock, smiling to himself when she flinched at the noise.

"Man I hate it when he does that." Banzai whined, Ed nodding enthusiastically.

"What was that?" Scar asked in a low, dangerous voice that caused Shenzi's hackles to rise.

"I said-"

"He said that we really need to move." Shenzi cut her suicidal brother off. "And he's right for once." Scar turned his wicked gaze upon them both before looking across the stream.

"What are you waiting for?" His voiced rolled out in a smooth, even tone. The sudden change caused the female hyena even more distress than she thought possible. Scar stood and began leaping to the opposite side of the stream, not looking to see if the others were following him. Ed immediately followed the lion, his siblings doing so after a brief pause. Shenzi kept her eyes on Scar, nervous as to whether or not she could trust him. He had seemed all right at first, but as the days had passed he had become more and more bitter. She refused to ask him about it and had smacked Banzai twice for trying to do so. All she needed was Scar to loose what little self-control he had left. The lion stopped walking and turned to look at her, an annoyed expression on his face. "Can I help you Shenzi?" He growled, causing the hyena to swallow suddenly.

"Nothing Scar." She muttered, doing her best to not look at him.

"Good. I would hate for anything to hamper our friendship." He drawled sarcastically. He looked up suddenly, his attention caught by something in the distance. Blurred and distorted by the heat, he saw a small stand of trees. _So there is actual life outside the Pridelands._ He nodded in the direction of the trees with a smile. "Looks like there's food over their." The hyenas followed his gaze to the trees.

"Scar, we don't eat trees." Shenzi said to the lion slowly, as though he were loosing his mind. The lion rubbed his temple with a paw, doing his best to not kill the most intelligent of the three.

"Where there are trees, there are animals. Animals are food, for lions at least. You can go eat grubs for all I care at this point." He turned and walked across the stream, leaving the annoyed hyenas behind.

* * *

Zira followed Taka's marks, resting only when necessary; every now and then she would find herself wandering into the stream, having drooped off while still walking. At such times she would take a short nap, never too long out of fear of loosing Taka. After days of this, Zira came to a place where the object of her unending desire had crossed the waters of the wasteland for whatever reason. She found this news more crushing than she would have thought possible. She could not follow his subtle claw marks in the water. With a dejected sigh she realized she would have to cross the stream and search until she once again found the trail. She walked across the pitiful excuse for water, not caring that she could not see the bottom despite it barely covering her paws. She came to the other side in mere seconds, her paws dripping with the brown water. She searched along the edge of the water for Taka's telltale marks. She spent the entire day walking along the stream, searching for the place he exited the water at. As the sun began to sink below the horizon, so did her hope. At this rate she was never going to find her beloved friend. And she wouldn't be able to tell him her greatest secret, one she was barely able to hide from the rest of the pride.

* * *

Ahadi had followed the tracks of the lioness for several days. At first they had been set on an almost straight line away from the Pridelands. Soon however, they had become erratic, as though she had lost hope. He continued to follow her, debating whether to find her or search for Taka. Finally, as he came to a small stream, he had come to a decision. If he were to abandon Zira now, the lioness his son cared so deeply for, he would be unable to even face Taka. Next to the stream was a bizarre rock Zira had apparently taken her frustration out on. Several claw marks had been left in the rock, causing him to frown in thought. He looked at her tracks once again, curious to see what she had done next. At the rock Zira had apparently found Taka's trail; she had turned and started following the stream. He found this curious but decided it was irrelevant, it would not be long before he caught up to her. With every day that passed the tracks had grown fresher, he was now only about two days from the lioness. He lifted his head to the sky, eyes closed as he prayed that he would find his son despite this delay. He added something to his promise to his family. He promised he would find both Zira and Taka, and bring them back to the Pridelands. That would be his only goal until he completed it or the day he died. After what he had done, he almost didn't care which came first.

Ahadi paused at a portion of the trail he was following. Looking closer he noticed a series of marks that followed the same path as Zira. Curious, he took a closer look, knowing he would be able to easily catch up with the lioness. After a moment of deep scrutiny he discovered that they were claw marks. The claw marks of a lion. A lion that always had his claws extended. _Taka. _A small smile spread across his features at this realization. _Clever girl…_ He thought looking at Zira's prints. Following their path he saw that they had begun to wander into the stream. _Must be exhausted._ He decided that it would be simpler to follow Taka's marks instead of the meandering trail of the lioness.

He followed his son's trail for quite some time before he came to the place where Taka had crossed the stream. Ahadi took note of something at this point that the less experienced would miss. At the point where Taka had crossed the marks were deeper, more defined. He had jumped across, not willing to touch the water. Ahadi followed his son's example, landing a small distance from the new trail of marks. Looking after the trail he saw a small copse of trees. Confident he would find both of those he was searching for the old lion walked towards the trees. Soon the three of them would return to Pride Rock and do what they could to leave this whole mess behind them. Ahadi smiled as he journeyed to the trees, the sun reaching the end of its travel.

* * *

Scar awoke to the manic cackling of his three imbecilic companions. He opened his eyes to see them sitting in a circle, laughing about something. He sat up rubbing his temple, reminding himself that he needed the hyenas alive. He looked at the sun; feeling annoyed with himself when he realized the day was half over. They had found a small amount of food in the small copse of trees, which the hyenas had promptly exhausted. At this rate they would have to leave the trees. He stood up and stretched, his sudden movement causing the two semi-intelligent hyenas to cease their laughter.

"Where ya goin' Scar?" Banzai yelled through a mouthful of meat, an idiotic grin on his face. The lion stalked past him, not even sparing him and his siblings a glance. Ever since they came to this small oasis, Scar's dreams had been…disquieting. The previous night had been blessedly free of them; the night before however, had been filled with one dream. The dream was even more horrific because he had had it three times in one night. As he walked off into the trees his mind drifted back to the dream…

* * *

_Scar was once again playing with his brother and their friends; they were all cubs once again. Zira was next to him, tackling him to the ground with a large grin. Suddenly she began to fade, her body rippling like water before she vanished completely. Laughter caught his attention, causing him to look to his left. Standing before him was Mufasa as he had last seen him, but something was wrong. His brother's kind eyes were filled with malice and cruelty. Mufasa laughed menacingly at Scar, causing the dark-furred cub to shrink in on himself. As his laughter increased Mufasa began to change, his mane darkening considerably. Suddenly before him stood his father, his harsh laughter crashing against Scar's ears. He backed away from the frightening apparition in fear, coming to the edge of Pride Rock._

"_Taka, you don't deserveto live." Ahadispoke, somehow still laughing his cruel laugh. At his bellowing voice Scar slipped over the edge, catching hold of it at the last minute. He dangled there, terror filling his emerald eyes as he looked up at the face that was now half Ahadi's and half Mufasa's. The being reached down and dug its claws into Scar's paws, eliciting a roar of pain from the young lion. The apparition leaned in close to his ear, making his breath catch in his throat. "Long live the king." His brother's and father's voices intertwined together, sending a chill down his spine. With a cackle the nightmarish being flung him screaming from the edge of Pride Rock to the bottomless pit below._

* * *

Scar shuddered at the memory of the disturbing dream. He shook his head and continued his walk through the oasis, hoping to clear his head of such thoughts. He had awakened from the dream later each time. The third time he had heard Ziracall his new name as he fell. This confused him the most; he wondered why his dream would focus on her as much as his tormentors. Again he shook his head, approaching the small pond that allowed the trees to live in the unforgiving wastes. A sudden noise caused him to freeze in his walk, listening for it to come again. He turned when he heard the crunch of grass to his left. What he saw caused his heart to freeze in horror. Before him stood the one thing he hated the most in all the world.

"Hello Taka." Ahadi said uncertainly, clearly worried about his son's reaction. "I've come to take you home." The older lion looked at the emerald eyes of his youngest son. The confusion, pain and anger he saw in them tore at his heart like his own claws. "I'm…" He didn't know how to continue, all the practiced speeches he had made falling to pieces as he confronted his greatest mistake. The darker lion began walking around the pond in the opposite direction of his father. Ahadi took his son's form in with a sharp pang of guilt. Takahad thinned horrifically, his already lean form reduced to pure muscle beneath his fur. His wicked claws had sharpened considerably from excessive use in this unforgiving world outside their homeland. With a bitter sigh Ahadi realized he had turned his son into a full-blown rogue lion. "Taka I-"

"Shut up." The younger lion said quietly, his teeth clenched in anger. He stood across from his father, his claws digging into the dusty ground in frustration. "Why are you here?" He asked sharply, causing his father to wince at the vicious tone.

"I told you, I'm here to take you and Zira home." The younger lion's eyes widened at the mention of the lioness. Seeing this Ahadi took a step towards his son, his eyes pleading. "Taka-"

"That is no longer my name." Scar continued walking around the pond, coming closer to his father with each step. Ahadi took a step back despite himself, put-off by his son's actions. Scar watched his father, all the pain he had felt recently filling his mind with hate. As he looked at the older lion, all the anger, all the resentment, all the betrayal, all of it came bubbling up, blurring his gaze with rage. He took a shaking step forward, his teeth bared at Ahadi. It was at this moment that Scar realized that Taka truly was dead. He had died at the stream long ago. As he had traveled with the hyenas, whatever part of him had been Takahad been left behind. Now only the part that could survive remained. The part his father had given him with a single swipe of a paw. The part of him that was Scar.


	8. Unknown Interloper

A/N: Beware, ahead there be fan characters. And please don't yell at me about Yewande, there's only one of her kind in any of the Lion King movies.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Never Forget Part 1: Surfacing

Chapter 8: Unknown Interloper

* * *

Zira collapsed onto the dusty ground she had walked through for days. Things were looking more and more hopeless; she hadn't seen any trace of Taka since crossing the stream. She could feel herself weakening from hunger with each day. The last time she had eaten was a small mouse she had run across. Even the mouse was half starved a fact that did not bode well for the lioness. She knew that if she had little hope of finding food, Taka must be nearly dead. This caused tired tears to fall from her eyes as she realized how pointless it all was. She realized that if she had only told the pride her secret, then she and Taka would still be safe in the Pridelands. She was disturbed from her state of near-unconsciousness by a soft padding sound. Her eyes cracked opened to the sight of a small spotted paw a few inches away from her face. Her gaze followed the leg up to the scowling face of its owner.

"You lion's never learn to stay on your own lands." The mysterious cat shook her head at the lioness in irritation. "I can't just leave you here; the hyenas will tear you to pieces." With a sigh the cat grabbed Zira by the scruff of her neck. "At least there's only one of you this time." The stranger grumbled through her clenched teeth and the mouthful of fur.

* * *

Zira awoke to the sound of running water near her face. She grimaced lightly when the cold liquid splashed on her face. Her eyes blinked open weakly; the first thing that came to her was a clear pool of water, a small stream falling along the gently sloping far wall of the cave she found herself in. She pulled herself to the pool with a weak groan, hoping she wasn't too far gone. She could barely hold her head out of the water as she drank greedily. The water was cool and clear, a wonderful contrast to the brown muck she had drank from the stream. The sound of padding paws finally drew her away from the water. She turned to face her rescuer, not knowing how to react to the stranger's kindness. Standing before her was a cat, like her but different in several ways. She was much smaller than Zira, causing the lioness to at first assume she was younger as well. Then she spoke in a voice that belied her slim body.

"Took you long enough to wake up." She raised an eyebrow, a small smirk spreading around the animal she held in her mouth. She dropped the animal and walked towards Zira, the reflected light of the pool revealing flashes of spotted, golden fur. The cat flopped down at the edge of the pool, keeping a good distance between the lioness and herself. "Thought you were dead." She stood up and stretched her muscles tiredly. She looked at Zira oddly, another eyebrow rose. "What?"

"What are you?" The lioness had never seen anything as bizarre as this creature. To her surprise the cat laughed loudly at her question.

"Lions. If you don't see it in your Pridelands it might as well not exist." She shook her head, regaining her composure. "I'm a cheetah, not that it means anything." She walked over to her kill, turning to look at Zira with a smirk. "Hungry?" Zira stood wearily and followed the cheetah. She looked at the carcass, recognizing it as a warthog.

"Where'd you get this thing?" Zira asked, prodding it to ensure herself that it was not some form of hunger dream. "I couldn't find anything out there larger than a mouse."

"That's because lions don't know how to hunt on their own." The cheetah bit into the warthog, ignoring Zira's annoyed glance. "Name's Yewande, what's yours?" She said through a mouthful of meat.

"Zira." The lioness answered her rescuer, still irritated by the cheetah's earlier remark. She bent down and began to eat alongside the other cat, utterly confused by resent events. She froze suddenly as her mind registered what exactly was going on around her. "Taka!" She made to run to the entrance to the cave only to groan and fall to the ground. Yewande walked up to her calmly, a weary look on her spotted face.

"Those things are going to keep making things difficult for you." She said with a sigh, gesturing to Zira's stomach. "And I just had to find you, didn't I?" She grabbed the lioness by the scruff of her neck and pulled her back to the water. "We're all going to die. So whose fault is it you're out here?" Zira's breath caught in her throat as the implications in the cheetah's comments.

"How did you…I was so careful…" She trailed off, tears starting to flow down her face. Everything she had worked for, all Taka's plans for the future, it was all falling apart with those few sentences. Within moments the cheetah had seen right through her, not even having to ask. The cheetah in question suddenly found herself in the uncomfortable position of having to comfort a crying lioness.

"This is why I live in the middle of nowhere." She sighed, lying down next to Zira with a groan. "What's wrong? Did he run off?" She flinched when Zira's tears doubled in force. "Your parents chase him off? What?" She awkwardly rubbed her head against the lioness, calming her slightly.

"Taka…his family chased him off…he doesn't know…" She buried her head in the crook of Yewande's neck, causing the cheetah to stiffen up for a minute before relaxing. "He's probably dead…can't find him…" After she was silent for a long moment Yewande looked at the lioness worriedly. She nearly burst out laughing when she saw that Zira had fallen asleep. Her quite laughter was snuffed out when she realized she was pinned under the heavier cat. She looked at the ceiling of the cave in exasperation.

"Shouldn't have made fun of lions' hunting abilities huh? Or was it being too blunt about the guy?" She sighed in annoyance before nudging the lioness lightly. When this had no effect the cheetah shrugged and put her head between her paws. "If you can't beat'em," she mumbled before joining Zira in dreamland.

* * *

"Taka please." Ahadi begged his son, trying to bring him back from whatever brink his mind was teetering on. "Just get Zira and we can all go home."

"What do you mean? Zira's out here?" Scar's eyes widened in fear as he thought of all the dangers his dearest friend would have to deal with. Then they narrowed as certain thoughts occurred to him about his being an outcast. "Did you chase her off as well?" He growled lowly, his claws extending even farther than normal. "What, you want Pride Rock free of everyone you don't approve of?"

* * *

_Three weeks before Taka's banishment…_

Taka sat on his favorite rock, nuzzling Zira tenderly. A large grin spread across his face when he heard a purr rumble through her chest. She licked him gently on the cheek, causing his grin to spread even wider. The moment was ruined by a shout from the young lion's father.

"Taka!" The king of the Pridelands yelled from the entrance to the den. His son looked at him worriedly. He nuzzled Zira a last time before standing and walking to Ahadi.

"Yes father?" He asked the powerful lion timidly. As he often did, Ahadi found himself unable to look at Taka's eyes; those eyes that reminded him so much of his brother's. The two lions walked into the den, Ahadi clearing it of lions with a nod of his head. When they were alone he turned to his son angrily.

"What are you doing with that lioness?" He asked, trying to control his temper and failing miserably.

"She's my-"

"Don't say friend, you and I both know it's more than that." He paced in front of his son, forcing himself to calm down.

"So what?" Taka said boldly, an anger equal to that of his father's in his eyes. "So what if I-"

"Don't!" Ahadi swallowed his pride and his anger before sitting next to his fuming son. "If you say it, to her or anyone else there will be no turning back." The lion sighed, frustration and weariness evident in his every movement. "Taka, you know the law, you have to marry the one you are betrothed to." A puzzled look grew over his face to equal the annoyed one his son wore. "Where is Sarafina anyway? I haven't seen you two together in a while."

"Ask Zira, she's better friends with her. Besides, she's on her first hunt with her mom." The young lion sighed heavily before flopping down on his side. Ahadi looked at his son with a weary expression.

"Taka…" Then he shook his head, thoughts regarding other laws churning in his mind. "Fine." The darker lion perked up hopefully. "Go to her." The older lion turned and walked to the raised dais reserved for the king. Taka stood up, staring at his father's back with disbelieving eyes. With a large smile he ran out to tell his beloved.

* * *

"You just couldn't let us be happy could you?" Scar's claws dug into the ground as he stared at his father. "Where is she?"

"You don't know?" Ahadi's eyes widened in at the same time as Scar's. The younger lion turned and bolted back to the trees. "Taka!" Ahadi yelled after his son. The dark lion stopped and looked at his father. For a second their eyes locked before Ahadi was forced to look away.

"Don't." And with that he vanished into the trees. Ahadi took a tentative step after his son before swallowing his pride once again. He ran after his son, determined not to lose him again.

* * *

"Shut up Ed!" Banzai snarled, kicking his brother in the head to stop his laughing. Shenzi paced the clearing they had agreed to meet Scar at. They were all growing restless waiting on the lion. It was past time for them to move on from the copse of trees but their companion had yet to return. In regards to this, the hyenas all reacted differently. Shenzi was growing worried for what his absence would mean for her and her brothers. Banzai had not ceased complaining about the lion missing since he had left. For his part, Ed had found his siblings distress hilarious, leading them to turn on him in annoyance. When he continued laughing Banzai tackled him to the ground growling at his brother.

"Would you two shut up?" Shenzi yelled, causing them to roll apart from each other.

"He started it!" Banzai gestured to Ed with a scowl. Shenzi glared at her brothers, trying to light them afire with her gaze. When that failed she attempted speech.

"If you keep this up Scar's gonna leave and we'll be stuck finding our own food again." She snorted when Banzai panicked at this thought. "Remember that?"

"Yeah, I hated that." Banzai moaned as Ed nodded enthusiastically. They were about to argue further when they were interrupted by the lion in question bursting into the clearing. "Hey Scar."

"Do you three remember how to get back to the stream?" He growled his mind in jumping chaotically from thought to thought.

"What stream?"

"The one we crossed to get here idiot!"

"Yeah, it's straight that way." Shenzi stood and ran after Scar when he bolted out of the clearing, her siblings following behind her.

"I have to find Zira!" The lion shouted, not caring if he left his only companions for the last few weeks behind for good. The only thing on his mind was the terror he felt at the thought of Zira by herself in the wastelands. After sometime of running he came to the stream. He paused at the edge of the stream, looking about wildly for any sign of the lioness. He took a deep breath and thought things over carefully. _Clearly Ahadi got here by following either me or Zira. _He looked around the edge of the stream, thinking desperately. _She obviously left before he did. If he could follow me she definitely could. Either way, she came this way. _He took a few steps back and noticed a few scratch marks in the dusty rock. He glanced at his claws and chuckled when he remembered he was the only lion in the entire pride that constantly kept his claws extended. _That's my girl._ He glanced in the direction he had followed the stream. _If she thought I was following the stream she would have continued this way. _He tore off in the indicated direction, promising himself he wound find her, whatever the cost.


	9. Felidae Frenzy

A/N: Felidae is the scientific name for all cats. Canidae = canines.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Never Forget Part 1: Surfacing

Chapter 9: Felidae Frenzy

* * *

Yewande finally managed to escape from beneath Zira. She stretched her cramped legs with a weary moan. She looked at the sleeping lioness with a small smile. She shook her head and walked over to the dead warthog. After another glance in Zira's direction she finished off the rest of her kill. When she finished she walked over to a corner of the cave, dragging the carcass behind her. Hidden in the shadows of the cave was a deep crevice, leading deep into the network of caves she had chosen to live in. With a small sigh she shoved the warthog over the edge. She watched it as it fell out of sight, her head cocked to the side. She turned back to Zira, her smile returning as she saw the lioness roll over.

"Now, what am I going to do about you?" She walked over to the entrance of the cave. She slowed when a familiar sound came to her ears. _Now of all times?_ She walked to the far wall of the cave, stepping around Zira's sleeping form. Yewande pressed her ear against the smooth, rock wall. The sound of rushing water caused her to grimace worriedly. _There's a storm nearby. That could be a very bad thing._

* * *

"Scar! Wait up man!" Banzai yelled, looking up at the oddly darkening sky. He and the other hyenas struggled to keep up with the speeding lion that flatly refused to do as he was asked. Shenzi was too out of breath to even try shutting her brother up at this point. Even Ed, that endlessly cackling lunatic was unable to do much besides pant heavily. The four companions tore alongside the stream, none noticing that they were being followed by not one, but two beings.

"I have to find Zira!" The dark lion practically screamed at the others. His mind kept racing, trying to piece everything together. _Why would she come after me? Why would Ahadi? _He paused as he came to a point where the stream's flow increased dramatically. _This could be a problem…_As a few drops of rain began to fall, his heart rate increased sharply. _A rather large problem. _He looked around frantically for a way Zira would have used. He spotted a ledge on the cliff wall that ran alongside the river. _But still…why would she break her promise?_

* * *

_Six weeks before Taka's banishment…_

"Taka?" Zira asked, rubbing against the dark lion with a purr. A huge smile spread across her face when he grinned. "You okay?" His smile faltered suddenly as his mind returned to the immense dread he felt.

"Of course." He replied, trying to force his grin back into place. The lioness nudged him with her shoulder. "What?"

"You're thinking about what your father said aren't you?" Concern weighed heavily in her voice and eyes. "Whatever happens, you'll always have me." Her eyes suddenly burned fiercely into his with a passion. The lion sighed, happiness and weariness fighting for dominance of his face.

"Zira…" he began with an incredibly sad smile, "no, I won't." He turned and walked towards his favorite rock. After a heartbroken moment Zira followed Taka, her head held low. He glanced at her and sighed tiredly. "Look, I…care for you. Deeply. More than you'll ever know." Her tear streaked gaze looked at him with hope. He smiled reassuringly, wiping a tear away with a gentle paw. "But my father is far too obsessed with the law." He held her gaze for a moment before he was forced to look away. "Whether I like it or not I am betrothed to Sarafina." He fought back tears of his own as he moved to comfort the lioness. "I'm going to try to talk to him, make him understand how I feel about you. But I want you to promise me something." He looked into her suddenly hopeful eyes with his pain filled ones. "Promise that if anything happens to prevent us from being together you won't chase after me uselessly." He nuzzled her, a sad smile spreading across his face. "You're too good for that."

"Taka…you deserve so much better than me." They broke apart to look into each other's eyes again. "I…"

* * *

"…promise." Zira murmured on the floor of the cave, causing Yewande's attention to return to the lioness.

"Promise? What promise?" She padded over to the larger cat. She nudged her with a paw gently. "Zira? Sorry to interrupt your beauty sleep, but we've got to leave." Zira mumbled something less than flattering about Yewande in response. "Now," she said sharply, causing the lioness to fully awaken.

"What's wrong?" She said, stretching her muscles. Yewande gestured for her to follow before walking to the entrance to the cave. Zira saw that outside was not the dreary landscape she had collapsed in, but a network of tunnels.

"Storms coming, the caves will flood and, with my luck, they'll collapse. That is no place for anyone to stay right now. Especially someone in your…condition." Zira's shoulders slumped slightly at that. Noticing her charge's posture the cheetah sighed wearily. "You haven't told anyone have you? When you said he doesn't know, you didn't just mean that he doesn't know you're out here, did you?"

* * *

Scar scrambled up the loose rocky cliff that had replaced the gently sloping incline next to the newly formed river. He knew, somehow that he was closing in on the lioness. The dark lion was filled with concern for Zira's safety in the increasingly harsh environment. _Where is she? _"Shenzi, do you know this area?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Where would someone take cover out here?" The hyena blinked at his frantic form in confusion.

"There are some caves up ahead but why…" Comprehension suddenly dawned on her features. "Oh. Come on, I'll show you." She raced ahead of the lion, purposeful direction increasing their pace dramatically.

* * *

Ahadi had foreseen the difficulty of trying to walk alongside the more and more dangerous river. Despite the pain Taka's reaction had caused him, he knew it was his responsibility to bring his son home. He still refused to risk his life following the same route Taka, and presumably Zira, had taken. Instead he traveled along the top of the cliff, having come to the same conclusion as his son about Zira's keeping to the course she had thus far followed. Before he had taken to the higher route he had made a worrisome discovery. Following the same path as the young lion where the tracks of three hyenas. He growled at the marks the three canidae had left behind. _If they lay one claw on my son…_ The aged lion began to move more quickly, determination hardening his eyes.

* * *

"Come on, we're both going to die at this rate." Yewande called cheerfully over her shoulder.

"And you're happy about that why?" Zira asked in a dejected tone.

"I'm just trying to cheer you up so the cave doesn't drop any rocks on my head." Yewande paused when she came to a fork in the tunnel. "Okay…left leads down to the stream, which should be a river at this point, so we'll go left."

"What did you mean about the cave dropping rocks on you?" Zira sped up slightly to match the cheetah's rapid pace.

"I've come to the understanding that whatever we do is evened out. We do something good and good things happen to us. Do something bad and…"

"And rocks will fall on your head?" Zira shot her companion a confused look. The cheetah shrugged, not even looking at the lioness.

"More or less. So who is he?" Zira flinched at the blunt question. "Sorry."

"It's fine. His name is Taka." A pained look flashed in her eyes for a moment.

"'Taka?' Who would name their kid trash?" Yewande stopped walking and gave Zira and incredulous look.

"The king." The lioness said shortly, stalking past the cheetah. "And then he chased him out of the Pridelands." She froze when the cave split into three different paths. "So I followed him, collapsed, and became lost in a cave system with a cheetah that for some bizarre reason lives underground." She shot Yewande a wry look. "Help?" The cheetah chuckled lightly at her comment.

"The one on the left comes out on the side of the cliff and becomes too small for me to fit through. The right drops down into an underground river. The middle one comes out on top of the cliff." She looked at Zira from the corner of her eye. "Which way ma'am?" She snapped of a quick salute.

"The middle?" Zira said through weary laughter. The two took the indicated path, Yewande's light humor keeping Zira from her depressing thoughts.

* * *

"Okay, this one's caved in and the other's under that." Shenzi looked at the now raging river. Her gaze flashed to the enraged lion next to her. "There's another one!"

"Where?" His voice came out in a threatening purr. She pointed to the top of the cliff. "Are you sure?" The hyena nodded then yelped when he jumped over her to a convenient ledge. He scrambled for his grip before climbing quickly, his claws aiding where there where no easy holds.

"Hey Scar? We can't follow you." Banzai called before grabbing onto the scruff of Ed's neck, preventing him from falling into the river. Scar pulled himself onto a ledge and looked down at the three.

"Find a way to meet me at the top." He sprang onto another ledge, pulling himself higher up the cliff.

* * *

Ahadi ran carefully along the cliff, worry clouding his strong features. He moved as fast as he could without falling over the edge. He had nearly fallen once already, his paws slipping on the rain-slicked rocks. He had panicked when he thought how hard it must be for Taka, down there next to the river. With those hyenas following him and the fear Ahadi had seen in his son's eyes when he brought up Zira, the young lion must be frantic in his attempts to follow the lioness. Ahadi caught sight of the hyenas in question from his vantage point. They were climbing up the cliff, following a conveniently gentle series of ledges. With a growl he ran towards the part of the cliff where the path they were following came to the top. _At least I can get them away from Taka._

* * *

"How often do these storms happen?" Zira asked to break the monotony of their travel. The tunnel they were following had taken an upward tilt, a small amount of water tickling their paws. The closer they came to the end of the tunnel, the loader the storm became.

"Every couple of weeks or so." Yewande answered absent mindedly. "This one's worse than usual, they normally don't come here. The river normally just swells because it's raining somewhere up stream." She hopped over a rock that blocked their path. "Are you okay?" Zira stepped over the rock stubbornly.

"I can manage." She gave the cheetah a grin. She nudged Yewande's shoulder with her own. "So how far do we have left?"

"Not far, we passed the halfway point a while ago. So, you want to tell me about him?" She gave Zira a sly look.

"He's…" The lioness sighed, a sad smile on her face. "He's gentle and strong, smart and brave; he's my best friend, I…" She broke off, her voice cracking as tears began falling from her eyes. "I don't know what I'll do without him…" Yewande stopped walking and gave her a serious look.

"Zira, I'll make you a deal. I'll help you look for him as long as you promise not to cry anymore." The cheetah walked past the perplexed lioness. "It's not your fault he's out here so stop acting like it is. You're not helpless, you're strong and you've got me."

"Yewande…thank you."


	10. Falling Apart

A/N: I am so very sorry about the length of this chapter. It just, sort of ended early and…yeah. Sorry. As always, please enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Never Forget Part 1: Surfacing

Chapter 10: Falling Apart

* * *

Shenzi pulled herself onto the top of the cliff. As her brothers scrambled up next to her a load roar met their ears. A large, golden furred lion slammed them to the ground with a swipe of his paw. He stood over them, growling angrily. Shenzi felt that there was something familiar about him, though she was too terrified to think about what it might be.

"What do you want with my son?" The lion growled at them, his furious eyes framed by his rain drenched black mane. _Black mane? _She thought confusedly before realization came to her.

"You're Scar's dad?" All the anger drained from his face in a moment.

"Scar?" He said quietly, heartbreak written on his face. He closed his eyes briefly; when they opened anger replaced the sadness. "What do you want with him?"

"He's our buddy, our pal. Right Ed?" Banzai looked at his grinning brother who nodded enthusiastically; apparently oblivious to the danger they were in. "See? We're all friends, amigos, buddies…Shenzi a little help?" The female hyena looked at Ahadi with sheer terror in her eyes.

"Please don't eat us?" She asked, a hopeful, if fearful, smile spreading on her face. The lion growled at them to be quiet, confusion and anger fighting for control of his features.

"What do you mean friends?" He knew this was taking too long, but at least it gave Taka enough time to find Zira and get to safety. "You have some explaining to do."

* * *

"Hey Zira, guess what." Yewande called in a playful voice. The lioness smiled slightly and decided to humor her companion.

"What?" The cheetah giggled and hopped in place, an impressive feat considering they were in an upward sloping tunnel.

"There's a light at the end of the tunnel." She picked up the pace, leaving the lioness to stare at her backside. _She goes from being wise and cynical to happy and childish disturbingly quickly. _The lioness thought, her smile growing as she matched the cheetah's pace.

"Well at least we don't have to worry about the tunnel collapsing." Zira said wryly as they exited into the torrential downpour. "We'll probably just drown from the rain." Yewande chuckled softly and nudged the lioness' shoulder with her own.

"Do you have to be so cynical?" She asked before pausing, her head cocked to one side. "Do you hear that?" It was barely there, nearly inaudible over the sound of the rain and the river. She could have sworn she heard a lion's roar. "It sounded like a lion…"

"Where did it come from?" Zira asked, all humor gone from her voice as she looked around, desperation and quiet hope evident in her eyes.

"That way." The two cats set off along the cliff. "How do we know this is Taka?" Yewande asked the lioness, knowing what disappointment would do to Zira.

"Who else would it be?" Zira called back to her as they bounded across the cliff, giving the edge a wide berth.

"Maybe his father came looking for him?" The cheetah had to skid in the mud in order to avoid smashing into Zira's suddenly unmoving form. She looked at her companion with something akin to rage in her rust colored eyes.

"You don't know the king." She spat the title like it was a curse. "He'd never come after Taka."

"What if he did? Just answer me that." Yewande backed carefully away from the lioness, not wanting to do anything to…compromise the situation. Zira growled, not at the cheetah but in the direction the roar had come from.

"Then he's had this coming for a long time." With a snarl Zira charged towards the origin of the roar.

* * *

Yewande was not the only one to hear the roar. Surprise caused him to loose his footing and slide partway down the cliff. After he regained his footing and pulled himself higher up the cliff he paused and growled in the same rage-filled tone Zira had used. He was torn between his oldest and best friend and the three beings that had saved his life. _I will repay my debts._ He thought angrily as he pulled himself atop the cliff. _I'll deal with Ahadi and then Shenzi will help me find Zira. _He ran towards where he had heard the roar come from.

* * *

"Do you really expect me to believe my son would willingly travel with you?" Ahadi held Banzai down with his paw, his eyes boring into the other two hyenas. Shenzi growled at him but froze when the lion put more pressure on her brother's neck. "Now tell me the truth."

"That was the truth!" Banzai choked out, his distressed tone causing Ed to whine in sympathy.

"My son would never travel with you." Ahadi had impressed upon his sons on a young age that they were to avoid hyenas at all costs.

"Maybe you don't know him as well as you think you do." Shenzi said, trying to distract the lion and give Banzai time to escape. Unfortunately her brothers weren't known for their keen intellects.

"Yeah, you know violence isn't the best parenting technique." The male hyena said with a strangling sound as Ahadi put even more pressure on his neck. Shenzi stared at Banzai in horror.

"That was stupid, even for you!" She yelled as she saw the look in Ahadi's eyes flicker between anger, guilt and sadness.

"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked in a low, quietly dangerous voice. He let up on the pressure. Encouraged by this sign of trust, the hyena explained himself.

"Well giving your kid a scar won't exactly inspire good behavior will?" The lion's answer was a fearsome roar before he slapped the hyena away from him. Ed dived to catch his brother and actually managed to prevent him from falling off the edge of the cliff. With another roar Ahadi charged the hyenas, only to be tackled from behind. He lost his footing due to the rain slicked mud that coated the cliff and his own momentum. The large lion slid to the edge and nearly fell over, catching himself just in time. He pulled himself away from the drop and looked at who had tackled him.

"Ahadi." Scar seethed, his breath coming out in pants from all the frantic running he had been doing. "First Zira, then my home, and now my companions." His eyes narrowed in barely controlled rage. "You just can't help but take everything away from me can you?"

"Taka I-"

"Do not call me that!" The dark lion screamed as the rain began to come down harder than ever. "Your son is dead," a sadistic smile spread across face without touching his eyes, "you killed him." Scar paced before the king of the Pridelands, working himself into frenzy. "And then you chased away the one thing that him sane in the entire world!" With a roar the younger lion leapt at his father in pure fury.

* * *

Zira and Yewande dashed across the cliff, closing in on where the roar had come from. As they ran they had heard more and more roars, roars from two very different lions. Zira couldn't be sure, but she felt the roars were familiar. This caused her heart to skip more than a few beats. The cheetah, built for sprinting not long distance running, struggled to keep up with her companion's frantic speed.

"Zira, you're being too reckless. You can't keep this up in your condition." She gasped, hoping the lioness would listen to reason. As they neared the origin of the noises they heard the sound of a start and stop fight. They came to a part of the cliff that was higher than the rest. Below them was a strange sight: three hyenas were cowering together watching Ahadi and some other lion fight. Zira stared intently at the younger lion.

_It can't be…_The lion slashed the Ahadi across his face, leaving a trail of bloody scratches. _After everything we've gone through…_The king shoved the younger lion away without using his own claws. _All this time…_The young lion bit onto Ahadi's neck, forcing the king of Pride Rock to squirm in his attempts to remove his opponent. He finally broke free and slid towards the edge of the cliff. The young lion stalked towards him, hate evident on his face. _I won't let Taka's revenge be stolen from him! _The lioness scrambled down to the same level as the two fighting lions. She ran toward them, a wild and determined look in her eyes. The second the younger lion's eyes met hers they both froze. Zira stopped her frantic charge and stared into those emerald eyes she adored so much.

"Zira?" Scar took as tentative step towards the lioness, pure, unadulterated emotion on his face as he gazed into her eyes. They were redder than he remembered them but they held the same look in them. He moved as though in a dream, completely forgetting his imperiled father.

"Taka!" The king yelled at his son in a last, desperate attempt to bring his son back. It was all he could do to hold himself up with is forelegs. "Help me up so we can all go home." The young lion froze, rage overtaking his features once again. "Please son, just come home…" Scar spun and stalked towards him, the rage having become quiet contempt. Ahadi closed his eyes and wept as he slid ever closer to death. "Taka I'm sorry…" His son leaned in close to his ear, as though to impart some great secret.

"I already told you Ahadi. Taka…is dead." The dark lion whispered cruelly in his father's ear. He turned and walked away, ignoring the sound of Ahadi slipping towards his doom.

"Taka? Taka!" The old lion couldn't believe his own son would leave him to die like this. "Scar!" The dark lion turned with a sadistic grin on his thin features. "I am family…please…" The grin vanished as Scar seemed to consider Ahadi's plea.

"Yes…and it seems I take after my father too much for his own good." Once again Scar stood over his father, a look of righteous fury on his face. "And so, like you did to me, I'm going to leave you to die." At those hate filled words all the strength seemed to drain out of the king. For the first time he felt how old he really was. And what a complete failure as a father he must have been. _My father truly lives in me…_He thought as he finally fell through the air, plummeting to the river. _And I…live in you Taka…_


	11. Coming Together

A/N: Yeah…so I kind of forgot something I was going to do last chapter involving Ahadi and caves. Luckily this means I'll be able to have something interesting done in this chapter. I due enjoy lucky breaks like that.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Never Forget Part 1: Surfacing

Chapter 11: Coming Together

* * *

Scar stared at the place his father had fallen from mere moments ago. A familiar presence sat next to him and nuzzled his head. He smiled sadly and nuzzled her right back. They sat that way for several moments, neither really feeling the rain drenching their fur. Scar looked up when four others joined them on the cliff edge. There were his, somewhat, loyal companions. Hanging farther back was a cat he was unfamiliar with.

"Shenzi, who is that?" The lion asked calmly, sounding drained from the events of the day. Zira looked up and smiled at her companion.

"She's my friend. Yewande this is-"

"Scar." The lion interrupted quietly. "I am not trash." This brought a light smile to the cheetah's face.

"Good for you." She glanced at Zira, gesturing to him with her eyes. The lioness mouthed the word 'no' before Scar could notice. "Whatever. Who are they?" She looked at the trio of hyena curiously. Banzai decided it would be a good idea to get on the new-comers' collective good side.

"We're Scar's buddies. Aren't we old pal?" The hyena gaze the lion a hopeful, if disturbed smile. The lion shrugged passively and smiled at Zira.

"I do owe them my life." He lifted his head to the sky, letting the rain sooth his weary mind. "And we'll most likely need them to survive." He gave Yewande an odd look. "Where do you live out here-" He was cut off by a load rumbling sound. The part of the cliff they we standing on collapsed as the forces of nature finally eroded it enough. They fell through into the network of tunnels that honeycombed the cliff. Due to the rain these tunnels were flooded and had collapsed into one another, changing the layout dramatically. "Zira!" Scar called out as he was swept away from her. The last thing he saw was a large rock wall heading straight for him. Then, everything exploded in a flash of white pain and faded to black.

* * *

"Scar…" The voice echoed through the darkness his eyelids provided. He felt something nudge him in the side, a series of pinpricks coming with the gentle prodding. "Scar." He tried to open his eyes, he really did, but it was just too hard. He'd been running on little food, he'd fought his father, ran who knows how far, and the very ground had swallowed him up. The nudge came sharper this time, the four points making him grimace in pain. "Scar!"

"What?" He moaned irritably as he blinked at the slightly familiar face above him. Yewande sighed in relief and annoyance.

"Good, you're awake. We need to move soon, I'm not too sure about how sturdy this cave is." Scar's mind finally registered what all had happened. He was about to ask about Zira when a scratching sound caught his attention. Ed scrambled over a pile of ruble and practically threw himself at Scar, making some unsettling yet happy noises. Scar pulled his paw back from the disturbed hyena. "I found him over that way." Yewande pointed in the direction he had come from. "I told him to look for a way through the giant pile of rocks blocking where we came from." She shot Scar a shy look, clearly uncomfortable about something. "I hope that's okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" The lion met the smaller cat's eye before she glanced away nervously.

"You're the boss, I'm the new girl." She gave him a meaningful look. "At least, I hope I'm the new girl." Scar stretched his back, ignoring Ed's whining for now.

"Well let's see, in the time I've known you, you've dropped me down a giant whole, allowed the best thing that's ever happened to me to rush into a fight," the cheetah flinched at each word, her ears flattening against her head. "And you saved her from dieing out here, alone and for a lost cause." He flashed the cheetah a brief grin. "I think you more than qualify."

* * *

"So you're Zira huh?" Banzai asked the lioness as they wandered the labyrinth of tunnels. They avoided the most flooded parts when they could, swimming when they could not. "Scar talks about you a lot." He scratched at himself absently.

"Does he?" Zira found the hyenas both annoying and entertaining. At least she could hold a conversation with Shenzi. Banzai mostly just gave them a running commentary. "And what has he said?" Shenzi decided this was not a question her brother should answer.

"He talks about when you two were cubs." She gave the other female a smile. "He likes you, you know that?" The two hyenas were startled when the lioness burst out laughing.

"More than you or the pride lions know." His expression darkened slightly. "More than they'll ever know." They walked in silence for a while, Banzai only breaking the silence to complain about his hunger. Eventually the silence become too much for even Zira. "So, tell me about yourselves, how did you meet Scar?"

"We found him, collapsed from exhaustion." Shenzi said; glad to have something less awkward to talk about. "We were…unsure what to do with him at first."

"I wanted to eat'em." Banzai interrupted with all the tact of a three-legged gazelle. Zira bristled at his casual declaration. Noticing this he managed to do the intelligent thing and explain himself. "I thought he was dead. We don't get much food out here." After a tense moment the lioness nodded, accepting his explanation.

"Does he know?" Shenzi snorted at the understandable question.

"He was awake the whole time. Why do you think he's alive right now?"

* * *

"They wanted to eat you?" Yewande whispered, shooting a nervous glance in Ed's direction. "And you travel with them?"

"It was that or die painfully. If I hadn't joined them they probably would have eaten me the next time I collapsed. Right Ed?" His spoke so the hyena could hear him. Ed looked over at him and nodded happily. "Would you eat me if I were asleep?" The hyena shook his head vigorously. "If I died?" Another nod. "Honesty, that's why I enjoy Ed's…unique companionship." The cheetah had watched the exchange with an odd look on her face. "What's wrong Yewande?"

"Scar, I think I'm going to get along with you guys just fine."

* * *

"You okay?" Shenzi asked the lioness as she nearly collapsed in pain. The hyena noticed that, besides the obvious, Zira was…different from Scar. The hyena knew that the lionesses were the ones that did the hunting, so Zira should have gotten more exercise than Scar. So why would she be bigger than him. She suddenly froze in her tracks, shock and terror evident in her eyes. _How is he going to react to this?_

* * *

"So…Scar," the cheetah began carefully, "how do you feel about Zira?" The lion gave her a curious look.

"Why?" They had found a partially collapsed tunnel that connected to their cave. Having no where else to go and the water level steadily rising, they decided it was their best shot at an escape.

"No reason. Just trying to make conversation is all." She started nervously checking the ceiling for loose rocks. Suddenly Ed yipped excitedly and bolted off down the tunnel. The two cats glanced at each other before following the hyena. "Ed?" She called after their odd companion. They caught up to him at a point where the tunnel had partially collapsed onto another. The water from their tunnel formed a mini-waterfall into the other. In the distance they could hear familiar voices.

"Zira!" Scar called, his strong voice echoing in the tunnel.

* * *

The three companions froze when they heard a familiar voice. Zira's ears pricked up and a grin formed on her tired face. _I knew he wouldn't leave me again._ They raced along the tunnel, following the voice. They came to a small waterfall that fell through the shattered remains of the ceiling. Peeking through the cracks in the rock were two sets of familiar eyes and an unmistakable set.

"Hey Ed." Banzai called cheerfully to his brother. The other hyenas literally jumped for joy, ignoring the way the others took a few steps back incase the tunnel finished collapsing beneath him.

"Zira, are you okay?" Scar called to the lioness, worry written all over his face. She smiled at him with relief, more than a little happy that he was worried about her.

"Of course I'm fine, how about you two? Yewande giving you any trouble?" The cheetah gave her an irate look.

"Funny. Nice to see you too Zira." She looked around the tunnel, trying to figure out where they were. "Okay, I think I know how to get us out of here. Um, Shenzi right? Okay, if you guys follow this tunnel and then take the first left you'll hopefully come out in the lower plains. I know a few other ways to get there; we'll meet up with you in about a day." Scar pushed his paws through one of the larger cracks and brushed it against Zira's.

"See you on the outside." With that less than tearful goodbye the two groups took their separate paths.

* * *

"So, how has Zira been?" Scar asked is verbal companion after a long moment of silence. Yewande was uncertain of what all she should tell the lion.

"She's been a little emotional but she's fine." The cheetah hoped he wouldn't press the issue any further. _It's her place to tell him. _She thought with a mental frown. _But I really don't want to lie to him._

"That's good. And I want to thank you for taking such good care of her. She means the world to me." Yewande stopped walking and watched his back, a relieved smile on her face. "Ed, stop chewing on your leg and hurry up." Yewande caught up to the lion, chuckling to herself lightly. _Now I know why she likes him so much._

* * *

"Well I'm lost." Shenzi looked at the two tunnels in front of them. "The cheetah didn't say anything about cave-ins." She grumbled, sitting down in the shallow stream that permeated the entire network of tunnels at this point. They had followed Yewande's directions but had been forced to take a detour due to another collapsed section.

"Well, the water's coming from the left, so the exit should be that way." The two females gave Banzai equally perplexed looks. "What?"

"That was actually intelligent." Shenzi marveled, half to herself. "I guess I was right to take Scar with us."

"Hey I'm smart!"

"Not from where I'm standing." Zira laughed as the two hyenas began arguing. Together they followed the left tunnel and began walking faster when they heard the sound of rain. "Looks like we found the exit after all!" They came out in a large, shallow pool. It was the size of a lake but only deep enough to cover their paws. Ahead of them was a great, expansive plain, soaked and flooded by the rain.

"So…do we just sit here and wait for Scar and Ed?" Banzai caught Zira's eye. "And the cheetah." He added quickly. The lioness shrugged and walked to the edge of the pool. She lay down on the edge, too tired by everything to go much further.

"Guess so." Shenzi joined the lioness on the relatively dry ground. After a moment's pause Banzai grew tired of sitting in the water. Together they waited for the rest of their group, each with their own thoughts.

_I hope their okay…_

_I hope they don't eat Ed…_

_I hope they bring us some food…_

* * *

"Maybe you should have lived in a less collapsible location." Scar muttered to Yewande, his tone the only dry part of him. Beside him the cheetah shrugged, not the least bit bothered by him.

"Up 'til now it's been better than the outside. If a little claustrophobic." She glanced nervously at the ceiling. "I was just joking about dropping rocks on my head."

"What?"

"Nothing, I think we're coming close to an exit. The flow's getting stronger." She nodded to the stream coating the ground. "And this isn't exactly a steep climb." She joked weakly. "So we should soon be out of this nightmare."

"Well, at least we have some…possibly good news." Scar smiled at her laugh. She reminded him of Sarafina with her humor. The lioness had always had a joke ready to cheer her friends up. With a smile he remembered his reaction when they had been told that they were betrothed. And how she reacted to him.

* * *

_Long before Taka's banishment…_

"Hey Taka!" Sarafina pounced onto the sleeping cub with a laugh. With a startled yelp he fell off the rock and they collapsed onto the ground. He blinked his eyes open and looked at the lioness with a resigned look.

"There are other ways of getting my attention you know." She smiled at the irritated tone. She had always delighted in annoying him. "Please get off me."

"No." She flashed him a huge grin which he met with his own, smaller smile. He managed to roll onto his stomach, Sarafina still lying partially atop him.

"At least let me go back to sleep." She nodded and put her head on her paws with a sigh, purring lightly. Shrugging to himself, Taka did the same and the two friends were soon fast asleep. They lay that way for quite a while before load laughter awoke them. Taka lifted his head to see a familiar face staring at him. "Rafiki?"

"Yes, little one!" He laughed in his pleasantly manic way. "Good to see you up and around, eh?" Sarafina looked at him oddly.

"Who are you?" She asked politely, enticing another bout of laughter from the mandrill.

"Sarafina, this is Rafiki he's…my dad's friend." Taka tried to stand but was still caught beneath the young lioness. "Um, do you think I could…?" She sat up abruptly, looking extremely embarrassed.

"Oh no, don't get up on my account." He seemed to vanish for a moment, reappearing behind the cubs. "You two were so cute!" Taka spun around quickly, surprise written all over his face. "Your parents will be pleased."

"Why?" The young lion asked, genuinely curious.

"Well you are betrothed." The old ape said calmly, leaning against his stick casually.

"Be-what?" Sarafina asked for them both.

"Betrothed." He began eating some form of fruit Taka had not seen him holding a minute ago.

"What does that mean?" He asked suspiciously.

"Someday you two will be married."

"What?" Taka practically yelped. "But-"

"What's wrong with that?" Sarafina asked, looking irritated.

"N-nothing!" Taka's mind worked furiously, trying to find a way to not get yelled at by his friend. He wasn't coming up with anything good.

"Really? Because it sounds like you think marrying me would be a bad thing." She managed to keep a strait face for a minute longer before bursting into laughter. "Kidding!" She rushed past him into the tall grass.

"What was that about?" Taka looked to the mandrill only to be greeted with empty air. After a moment Sarafina sprang out of the grass and tackled him to the ground.

"Come on, you worry too much." She licked him on the cheek lightly. "Besides, Zira would kill me if I married you."

* * *

Scar felt a pang when he realized he would never see his friend again. He looked up when he heard the sound of rain grow over that of rushing water. At least he had Zira now, and the hyenas. He even had this strange minded cheetah to travel with. He was not short on companions in any sense of the word. He looked around when they exited, taking a few breathes of fresh air. He spotted three dark, soggy lumps not far from where they had exited. Without a word he and his companions walked towards them. When it became clear that they were, in fact, the rest of their group they ran the rest of the way.

"Zira!" Scar yelled, catching the others' attention. They stood and met them halfway. Zira and Scar nuzzled each other, relief and joy mixing on their tired features. As they settled down and the rain finally began to lighten up, they knew there was nothing that could ruin this moment.

"Anybody else hungry?" Well almost nothing.


	12. Looking Back Part 1

A/N: At this point I would like to thank my reviewers for helping me make this thing more than it would have been. Salutes all around. Also, this is another chapter that sort of ended…early. Sorry but that's how it worked out. Oh, before I forget, there are more fan characters ahead. As well as one we've seen before. It's not that hard to figure out who it is. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. At least, nothing anybody cares about.

* * *

Never Forget Part 1: Surfacing

Chapter 12: Looking Back

Part 1: Losing One's Family

* * *

"If you ask for food one more time, I'm going to eat you myself!" Shenzi yelled at her brothers. Scar silently thanked the female hyena for saving him the trouble of yelling at the two males. The female cats chuckled when he sighed irritably.

"What?" He asked them, an eyebrow lifted at their laughter.

"Nothing Scar." Zira said with a wry smile. She nudged her shoulder against him, enticing a chuckle from the dark lion. Their friendly chatter faded as they thought over everything that had happened recently. Shenzi wondered if Scar would keep his end of the deal and help them get food. Banzai simply wished he had something to eat just then. Whatever thoughts rattled around Ed's head were a mystery, possibly even to the crazed hyena himself.

Zira was in absolute bliss. She had found her Taka, managed to survive near-starvation, and had even managed to make a friend. Admittedly she would not have been able to do either of the first two without Yewande. She smiled when she thought about the cheetah. Taka had taken to her quickly. Normally that would worry her but she knew neither Yewande nor Taka would betray her that way. They both put a large importance on trust. It did not once occur to her that being abandoned by one's family could completely change that.

The cheetah was uncharacteristically quiet as they sat under the dead branches of one of the scarce trees for shelter. Her thoughts kept drifting to Zira and the lioness' relationship with Scar. She could clearly understand why Zira felt attracted to the lion; he was strong, smart, and a charismatic leader. She hadn't questioned following him at first. Now however, now she began to wonder about her role in this…group. She honestly did not know how to cope with this many other beings around. Yewande had spent most of her life in solitude. She had a family once, but that was a long time ago. Then, there was the one other cat she had met since they were taken from her. The one she had come to call her second mother. Yewande wondered distantly what the lioness would think of her new companions.

* * *

_Seven months before Taka's banishment…_

* * *

The young cheetah cub pulled herself weakly along the river's bank. The rains had been heavy for the past few weeks, leaving destruction in their wake. It had finally stopped raining the day before, the sky unable to mask her tears with its any longer. She limped along carefully, favoring her left foreleg slightly. She had to pause in her journey every few steps to blink away the blurriness in her vision. She felt the incessant pain like a weight in her chest. She stumbled a bit but managed to catch herself. _I can't keep this up._ She thought bitterly, looking around for some place to sleep. She spotted a rocky overhang not far from where she stood. She made her way over to it, not caring if anything lived there. If she survived the night then she would continue on her way. If not, then her worries would be over. She lay down carefully, not wanting to hurt her leg any further. It was not long before she fell asleep, exhaustion and depression each wearing her down to her core. The sun had barely set when she felt a light prodding in her side. She ignored it, not caring if whatever was causing it planned on eating her.

"Are you dead?" A female voice asked her gently. The voice was raspy but not unpleasantly so. She finally cracked her eyes open to look into the face of a much older cat. One without any spots whatsoever. _Odd._ "I'll take that as a 'no.'" The cat chuckled, the sound harsh and dry. As she stepped back the cheetah noticed the reason for this. Her throat was badly scared, as though someone had tried to rip it out with their claws. It was a miracle she was even alive with an injury like that. "Thirsty?" The young cheetah blinked at her stupidly before nodding in agreement. "Come on." The older cat helped her up and guided her towards the opposite end of the overhang. There she discovered a shallow pool of water. It was mercifully clear of the dust that seemed to blanket everything. The younger cat drank greedily, the other more dignified and quietly. When she finished she looked up to see the other cat looking at her oddly.

"What?" Her blunt tone caused the other to laugh.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what you are." Her tail twitched back and forth lazily, a ready distraction from the scars on her throat.

"I'm Yewande. I'm a cheetah." She gave the other cat a suspicious look. "And you are?"

"I'm a lioness." She said simply.

"What's your name?" The cheetah clarified.

"I don't have one." She looked out over the rocky landscape around the river. "If we don't move now the hyenas will find us."

"Hyenas?" Yewande swallowed audibly, confusion filling her eyes. She had heard stories about hyenas from her mother but she had never believed him. The old cheetah had a habit of telling fantastic stories. She once swore there was a kind of cat that lived entirely underground. Surely they were just stories. They weren't real. Were they?

"They're not that bad, they just don't like anyone sleeping in their den. They usually don't mind it if I stop in for a drink but I've never had company before." She stood and walked out from under the overhang, the cheetah following close behind. They traveled in silence, both thinking deeply. Yewande kept glancing over to the lioness, trying to figure her out. They soon came to the sight of a shallow recess in the cliff face they had started following. As the lioness lay down the silence finally grew too oppressive for the cheetah. By this point the sun had fallen quite some time ago, they had traveled far, leaving the hyena den far behind.

"What did you mean earlier? Everyone has a name." The lioness slowed to a stop and looked at the younger cat.

"I don't remember mine. Or where I came from." She looked into the distance, her eyes unfocused as she looked into her past. "I remember…my brother. I don't know his name. Or that of the other lion." Her face darkened dramatically at that. "I don't know who _he _was, but I-I think I hated him."

"And your brother?" She was almost afraid to ask, not wanting the mush larger cat angry with her. To her surprise a smile spread weakly over the lioness' face.

"I loved him. Whenever I think about him I'm filled with this warm feeling, like I'm safe." She shook her head, clearing the memories away forcefully. "What about you? What happened to your family?"

"The rain."

* * *

_One week ago…_

* * *

"Yewande, if you don't wake up I'm going without you." She awoke at the sound of her brother's voice. She ran to his side, her tail jerking in agitation.

"That's not even funny." She muttered grumpily. Laughing lightly he guided her to where their sister sat with their mother. She yelped when a rain drop fell on her nose, enticing more laughter from her brother. "Shut up Fengai." She muttered, giving him a dark look.

"Yewande." Folami said her daughter's name in a warning tone. Beside her, Nia giggled at her siblings', always enjoying their fights. Folami gave her a weary glance before shaking her head tiredly. She was getting far too old for parenthood. As the rain began to increase in intensity her frown deepened. It had been raining off and on for weeks, something that worried her deeply. The river near their home had swollen its banks, driving the nearby residents up into the hills on the opposite bank. This forced the family to cross the collapsed tree that bridged the river. The old cheetah grew more worried with each passing day she was forced to take her family across the small bridge.

"Mother?" Nia asked her, the other two having resorted to actually fighting each other, nipping playfully and trying not to truly hurt each other. Folami shook her head and cleared her throat, gaining the attention of all three of her cubs.

"Tomorrow is the last day we're crossing the river for a while. If the rain continues the way it has, the river will be too high to cross." She strode elegantly towards the river, hoping desperately that she wasn't making a mistake. "So make today count." The family came to the "bridge." Folami stepped onto it first, insuring herself that it was safe to cross. Nodding to herself she carefully made her way to the other side, followed by her cubs one by one. They made it safely, the younger cheetahs not really concerned by how dangerous crossing the river had become.

"Can we go now?" Yewande asked expectantly. The three waited for their mother to nod before running off in different directions, each, supposedly, responsible for their own meal. The day was not the most successful they had ever had. Fengai managed to trip while he and Yewande stalked the same gazelle. Nia had found nothing at all, eventually traveling a full circuit to the bridge. As the three siblings came to the river they found their mother waiting patiently, a good sized gazelle on the ground next to her.

"Hungry?" She asked her salivating offspring. Together the three of them tore into the gazelle. Soon they had eaten all they could, the gazelle stripped to the bone. They sat for a while, enjoying the feeling of full stomachs and their mother's strange, outlandish stories. "Hyenas," she began one of her favorites, "are terrifying. They eat everything in their path. They're like us but-"

"But they have big, misshapen bodies and they laugh maniacally as they chase down their prey." Fengai continued for her.

"They aren't afraid of anything, but everything fears them." Nia took up the tale in turn.

"So we should never go to the wasteland. The hyenas live there and will gobble us up as soon as look at us." Yewande finished, smiling smugly at her mother's annoyed expression. "You tell that one a lot."

"Since I'm so boring, I guess we should head back." She looked uncertainly at the river. The current had intensified as the rains bore on. "Before we're stuck on this side."

"With the hyenas?" Fengai snickered, causing his sisters to laugh. Ignoring them Folami stepped carefully onto the bridge. The cubs followed her, still joking amongst themselves. "Hey Yewande, what has four legs, spots and no brains?"

"I don't know. What?"

"Either Nia or-" He was cutoff by a huge cracking sound accompanied by the tree shuddering. All four cheetahs froze, as the front of the bridge dropped, brushing the surface of the river. They had time to look at each other in fear before the tree fully collapsed into the river, taking the family with it. Yewande watched in horror as first her mother, then Nia and finally Fengai were swept away into the violent torrent. She dug her claws into the tree desperately as it too was pulled along by the current. She held on as her young body was thrashed about by debris and the bank itself. Soon she was so battered and bruised that her claws slipped off the smooth wood of the tree. She lost consciousness as she was carried away from her home.

* * *

"And I woke up on the bank. I've been wandering around ever since." The cheetah finished her story. Neither she nor the lioness knew at what point they had lain next to each other. It simply felt right to them, the older cat's warmth reassuring to the young cheetah. "I'm sorry." Yewande scrubbed at her face, trying to wipe away the tears that had began falling down her face.

"Don't be." The lioness nuzzled the younger cat. They stayed that way for the rest of the night, neither needing nor wanting to leave the other's side. It was near midday when Yewande awoke to find the lioness sitting next to her. The older cat smiled and stretched her muscles with a yawn.

"Is there anything you do remember?" Yewande asked suddenly, hoping she would answer. That same distant look came into her eyes as she tried to remember.

"My brother…he had a black mane and gold fur. I remember another, not _him _but not my brother either. He…did this I think." She placed a paw against her throat tenderly. "I remember pain…"

* * *

"Weakling. Get away from him." A cold voice ordered her awake. Her eyes cracked open. Above her was a fearsome lion, starring into her eyes intently. She tried to speak only to cough violently, blood coming out of her mouth. "Stop that. Your wounds are far from fatal." The lion growled lowly, forcing her climb to her paws weakly. She noticed a furry mass next to her as she did so. Looking down she saw another lion, this one unconscious and bloody as well. Looking at him filled her with the exact opposite emotion as the other lion. Looking at this younger lion she felt…joy.

"Get out of here." She looked at the other lion confusedly. "You make him weak. If you leave he might become a worthy heir." He gave her a look that told her he would not hesitate to finish the damage that had been done to her throat. She backed quickly away from the old lion. She turned and moved away as fast as she could, hoping he wouldn't decide to come after her. She looked back once in time to see a lioness drag the body of another lion, one away as the old lion watched calmly. Upon seeing the third lion she felt revulsion. It was not from the state of the body, she knew that much, but from the dead lion's face. Then her gaze locked once again with _his._ She fled as fast as she could from his gaze, hoping she was running to a better place.


	13. Looking Back Part 2

A/N: Congrats if you guessed the lioness' identity. If not, don't worry about it. Also, this chapter was a pain to write for whatever reason. I apologize if that comes through and for the delay in this chapter. Also, like an earlier chapter, this one seemed to end when it wanted. So it's a little short compared to the others.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. At least, nothing anybody cares about.

* * *

Never Forget Part 1: Surfacing

Chapter 13: Looking Back

Part 2: Leaving Mother Behind

* * *

It had been four months since she had been found by the lioness. Yewande still struggled with the fact that her savior had no name, nothing by which to go by. How were they supposed to speak to one another when one of them didn't have a name? She had tried to at least think of something to call her. Some of them had been less than flattering.

"Yewande, what are you doing?" The lioness asked tiredly. The cheetah frowned slightly. _Why do all moms have the same tone?_ That thought caused her to blink in surprise before grinning widely.

"I think I've got you a name." She dropped off of the rock lightly. "Nosipho." The lioness went through almost exactly the same series of reactions as Yewande. She nuzzled her head against the younger cat happily; tears of gratitude flowing gently down her face. "I'm glad you found me." The cheetah returned her affection with a happy purr.

* * *

"I hate you!" Yewande yelled, running away from the recess in the cliff wall that had been her home for the past six months. She ran as fast as she could, not caring if Nosipho followed her. She ran until she came to the river. The rains had not come for quite some time, causing the river to shrink to a small stream. She flinched away from the stream as she always did. She looked around and saw a small cave leading into the cliff face. Having just run away from home for the third time in the past two weeks she decided to explore the cave. She squeezed into the small cave, only to realize that it was actually a tunnel. With a shrug she followed it deeper into the cliff. Her mom would find her eventually so she wasn't really concerned about getting lost. She followed the tunnel for quite some time, enjoying the cool air compared to the heat of the outside. She reflected that this would be a nice place to stay when it grew too hot. Soon she came to a point where the tunnel split off in two directions. She took the left on the simple premise that it sloped up slightly. It was not long before she spotted daylight ahead. She quickened her pace, eager to escape the tunnels. Though large, she still felt somewhat claustrophobic when cut off from the outside. She came out in the middle of a small clearing. She took a few steps away from the tunnel, enjoying the slight breeze.

"Well, well, well. What have we got here?" Yewande froze at the growling voice. She spun around to see two…things standing not far from her. The smaller of them, the male, was chuckling darkly while the female circled the young cheetah slowly.

"Looks like dinner to me." The female said, licking her lips hungrily. "The kids'll be happy."

"Who cares about them? Let's just eat." He rushed at Yewande, causing his mate to curse sharply. The cheetah turned and ran right back into the tunnel, the two predators right behind her. Yewande's mind was churning, trying to figure out what these things could be. _Claws, fangs, spots, like cats but they aren't. _Her eyes flew open in surprise. _Hyenas? Great, I'm being chased by the monsters of my cubhood. _She took turns at random, flinching every time she heard the hyenas back excitedly. After a several turns she began to tire, slowing down drastically. Cheetahs were sprinters, not marathon runners. Luckily she had stopped hearing the barks of her pursuers quite some time ago. They had either given up or decided to chase her more quietly. She kept going until her run became a walk. Soon, even that was too tiresome for her. Stumbling and panting, she collapsed on her side in a large cave. The last thing she remembered as she fell asleep was the sound of running water.

* * *

She awoke some time later, her muscles sore and tired from her escape. She blinked to clear the blurriness from her eyes. She looked around herself slowly, fighting the dizziness she felt with the movement. One wall of the cave sloped gently up to the ceiling, a small opening letting water flow down into a clear pool. The cheetah pulled herself over to the water carefully, ignoring the pain she felt with the effort. When she reached the pool she drank greedily, not even tasting the water. Once she had drunken her fill she took the time to look around the cave. Besides the tunnel she had taken, there was a smaller one leading towards the side of the cliff. Deciding that she would be safer there than near the hyenas, she carefully entered the smaller tunnel. She traveled through the network of tunnels only stopping when she heard the sounds of rushing water. Smiling slightly she moved towards the sound as quickly as possible, finally coming out a few feet above the river. Looking around the cheetah spotted a few convenient ledges that lead towards her home. _Nosipho's going to kill me. _She thought guiltily, the image of her adopted mother looking worried causing her to flinch mentally.

It took Yewande most of the day to return home, the normal route being much longer than the tunnels she had used earlier. She couldn't wait to tell Nosipho about the cave she had found, she hoped that would at least keep the lioness from yelling at her too harshly. As she came within sight of the recess in the cliff wall she noticed there was nobody there. Her stomach seemed to drop out of her as the thought of Nosipho looking for her finally clicked in the cheetah's mind. _This is a very bad thing._ She was lost as to what she should do, having spent very little of her life on her own. _I'll stay right here until she comes back. She has to come back, she knows I'd come here eventually. _Having decided on what to do the cheetah sat under the recess, hoping the other half of her family would return soon.

She was awoken late in the night by the sound of whimpering. She looked over towards the river, tentatively hoping Nosipho had returned. The aging lioness limped weakly towards the cheetah, causing the young cat to sprint to her side. The elder cat leaned against the younger for support. Together they made their way steadily to the recess in the cliff face.

"What happened?" Yewande asked hurriedly, terror and worry combating with each other in her mind. Nosipho chuckled before coughing harshly, increasing the cheetah's worry drastically.

"It's nothing to worry about." The lioness said with false cheer. Yewande looked at her leg despite her protests. A jagged and painful looking bite went all the way done to the bone. The cheetah's breath caught in her throat as she saw the extent of the wound.

"Nothing to worry about? Nosipho, I can see your bone!" She looked the lioness in the eye stubbornly. "What did this to you?"

"Something in the river, I didn't get a good look." Nosipho glanced around warily, ignoring the pain now that Yewande was near her. "You should leave, hyenas will come running."

"I'm not leaving you out here." The cheetah looked reluctantly in the direction she had come from. Nodding to herself she looked back at the lioness. "I know a safe place."

* * *

Nosipho collapsed in the cave wordlessly, too tired to pull herself to the pool for a drink. Yewande lay down next to her, worry hanging heavily in her eyes. It had taken a while but they had finally found a tunnel large enough for Nosipho to travel through. The cheetah feared the trip had been too much for the old lioness.

"Nosipho?" She asked tentatively, only getting a weak moan from the lioness. "Please don't give up. I need you." She rubbed her head against her companion, tears streaming down her face. "I know it's selfish but I…I can't do this without you…please…" She continued to plead quietly, her tears steadily falling down her face. It was not long before they had both fallen asleep, one for the night, the other forever.

* * *

"Yewande, are you coming?" Scar called over his shoulder to the cheetah. She nodded and looked back at the collapsed cliff that had once been her home. She smiled sadly as she thought back on all the troubles she had been through in her short life, and how insignificant they seemed compared to those of her companions. She fell into step next to Zira, the sadness draining from her as she remembered her friend's circumstance. Soon she wouldn't have time to dwell on the past.

"Goodbye mom."


	14. Looking Ahead

A/N: Enjoy, we've only got a few chapters left in part one.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. At least, nothing anybody cares about.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Never Forget Part 1: Surfacing

Chapter 14: Looking Ahead

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You do know you're going to have to tell him eventually right?" Yewande asked Zira when she was sure the others could not hear. The two had taken to walking off from the others in order to discus Zira's condition. "He's only going to be angry if he finds out on his own."

"I'm not worried that he'll be mad, it's just that…" The lioness trailed off, looking at the dark leader of their bizarre group. He was talking with Shenzi, most likely about where their next meal was coming from. The cheetah sighed irritably, her patients finally giving out under the stress she had recently been put under.

"I'm telling him. Scar!" She called, causing the lioness' eyes to widen in horror.

"What are you doing?" She growled lowly, not wanting to alarm the steadily approaching lion. The cheetah merely smiled before looking at the dark lion.

"What is it?" He asked when he reached them, his green eyes gazing into each of theirs in turn. Yewande attempted to nudge the larger cat forward, causing Zira to glare at her. "Zira?" The lioness shot him a nervous glance, unsure of his reaction. Her hesitation was not lost on him. "What's wrong?"

"Can…can we talk?" Zira managed to ask finally. The dark lion nodded and the two walked away from the others for privacy. Yewande watched them for a moment before trotting over to the three hyenas. The two males were in the middle of fighting over a bone Ed had found…somewhere. The cheetah shook her head and approached Shenzi.

"Yewande." She said, annoyed by her siblings' antics. She nodded in the direction Yewande had just come from. "They talking about what I think they are?" The cheetah chuckled and lay down next to the hyena.

"I'm surprised he hasn't picked up on it yet. He seems pretty smart." The two watched as the lions stood facing each other. Shenzi simply watched, hoping this would not ruin her and the other hyenas' chances of survival. If Scar decided he didn't want anything to do with them, they would lose one of their group's strongest, and smartest, members. The hyena did not like the idea of being stuck with her brother by herself again. Yewande was less concerned with the group's wellbeing, she was simply curious about Scar's reaction. She found the dark lion…interesting. The two watched as Zira began to explain to him exactly why she had followed him. The entire time she spoke the dark lion kept the same, stony mask.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So you see, I didn't have any choice. If you father or brother found out I would have been banished anyway so-"

"Zira." He cut her off with his gentle tone. She met his gaze, seeing concern, amusement, frustration, and just a hint of happiness. "Do you think I'm an idiot?" She backed aware in surprise.

"What?" He chuckled to himself, shaking his head sadly. He glanced at her rounded stomach with a wry expression.

"That's not exactly subtle." He said, bringing to her attention exactly how far along she was. It was at this moment that everything that had happened finally caught up with her. They were stranded in a wasteland, far from the home they had known. The only company they had was not even the same species. Two of them were complete and utter morons and now, on top of everything else they were expected to raise a cub. She felt the tears well up as panic set in. Seeing this, Scar was quick to move to her side. "Hey…come on." He nuzzled her head with his own. "I'm here now, there's nothing that can hurt you as long as I'm around." She sobbed into his black mane, nodding at his comforting words. "Nothing can hurt you or our child."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Mufasa?" Sarabi called out to the new king. "What is it?" He looked at her from his place atop Pride Rock. He had spent much of the day staring out over the Pridelands.

"I'm not sure. I just have this odd feeling, like something good has happened." He shook his head before walking to her side. They walked together back to the den their voices lowering the closer they got. "How is she?" He asked, stopping at the mouth of the cave. Sarabi followed his gaze to where Uru lay.

"She's growing weaker with every day." Sarafina said, leaving the old lioness' side to speak with her friends. "I don't think she'll survive much longer." Mufasa growled in sadness. He approached his mother carefully, not wanting to startle her more than he had to.

"Mother?" He ventured quietly. She merely moaned in response, the sound tearing at his heart. "I don't know if I can stand losing you as well." He lay down next to her softly. "First Taka, then father, now you? Our family's falling apart."

"Pieces…" She wheezed softly.

"What?" He fought the tears that threatened to fall.

"We're already in pieces…" She cracked one tired eye open to look at her son. "Taka is dead." She managed to whisper, tears leaking out of her eyes.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"May I point something out my dear?" Scar asked the lioness as they walked back to the others. "You left the Pridelands because you were afraid you would be banished?"

"I was too worried about you to think clearly." She countered quickly, causing him to smile approvingly.

"That's my girl." He nodded to Shenzi and Yewande as the lions walked passed them. The two managed to break up Banzai and Ed's scuffle and follow. "Five, four, three…"

"Why are you-?"

"So what's for dinner?" Banzai asked suddenly. Scar sighed wearily.

"Like moronic clockwork." He looked at the hyena blankly. "Do you see any food?"

"No."

"Then what do you think we are having for dinner?" The lion felt his patience slipping with every moment he was forced to deal with the hyena.

"Nothing."

"Look Zira, it can learn." Yewande said, bumping the lioness with her shoulder.

"Hey! That's not-you smell that?" He interrupted himself, looking around frantically. After a moment the others joined him, albeit with more composure.

"What is that?" Yewande asked as they made their way towards the scent. They climbed up a large hill to what appeared to be another spit of green in the dust-choked landscape. "Oh, my mom told me about these. She said this was an oasis."

"A what?" The others looked at her dubiously.

"She said it was like the Pridelands, only smaller and with more plants."

"Well, to me it just looks like another waterhole." Zira remarked as they made their way around the pool of water.

"Whoa! Shenzi, Scar! Check this out!" Banzai called from the edge of the oasis.

"You find food?" His sister asked as she and the others followed his voice. They were greeted with a massive cliff over looking a massive area. Massive trees spread out in all directions, pressing in on each other densely. Below them was a large lake, in which fish could be seen swimming. They were stunned for a long moment, all of them looking for words to describe what they saw before them.

"Jungle." Scar said finally. "Ahadi spoke of things like this. He said the king needed to know of such things." He growled the last part lowly. He took a moment to collect his thoughts and quiet his temper. "I suppose we could live here for a while. "

"At least until we know where we're going." The cheetah said wryly.

"Exactly."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Okay, I'm ending this chapter here because: A) this chapter was giving me trouble and B) the next chapter works different from this one. You'll see what I mean.


End file.
